Play centers on the relationship between an aging actor and his dresser

Jan. 6—At its core, "The Dresser" is a play about aspiration.

Written by Sir Ronald Harwood, the West End Production opens at the North Fourth Art Center on Friday, Jan. 13, running on weekends through Jan. 29.

The 1980 play centers on the relationship between an aging Shakespearian actor called "Sir" and his dresser Norman during World War II.

"He is a very sensitive, creative human being who can't express himself by acting on stage," said director Colleen Neary McClure, of the dresser. "In many ways, he lives through Sir.

"Mainly, it's a play about human endeavor," she continued. "To quote Sir, it's about struggle and survival."

The survival portion stems in part from the bombs exploding around the theater troupe as they travel around the provinces during the war in 1942.

"It's not unlike theaters trying to put on plays during the pandemic," Neary McClure said.

The aging, once-famous Sir is falling apart, forgetting his lines and having something akin to a nervous breakdown as he plays "King Lear."

"Sir is struggling to perform," Neary McClure said. "The dresser is helping to return him to the stage. (Sir) can't even remember the first line of the play."

It's a play he has performed 227 times.

"To me, there's a lot of the fool (from "Lear") in Norman," Neary McClure continued. "He's the king's confidant, so there's a real parallel."

Harwood based his plot on his experiences as a dresser to English Shakespearian actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit, the model for the character "Sir."

Norman knows the actor's every whim and fancy and endures his tirades. He is essentially Sir's servant. As the actors line up for their curtain call, Sir lectures them about their imperfections, reminding them he is the leader of this traveling band. But his mental capacities are rapidly fading.

The play was turned into movies twice: in 1983 starring Albert Finney and Sir Tom Courtenay and again in 2015, starring Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

West End Productions will next stage "April in Paris" by John Godber in April.

'The Dresser'

by Sir Ronald Harwood and presented by West End Productions

WHERE: North Fourth Art Center, 4904 Fourth St. NW

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, and Saturday, Jan. 14; 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, repeats through Jan. 29

HOW MUCH: $22-$25, plus fees, at westendproductions.org, 855-937-8505