Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Everyman Theatre Cheltenham have announced a brand new production and tour of Ronald Harwood’s acclaimed drama, The Dresser, starring Julian Clary as Norman and Olivier Award winner Matthew Kelly as ‘Sir’.
Directed by Terry Johnson, The Dresser will run at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre from 10 to 19 September 2020 followed by a run at Theatre Royal Bath from 21 to 26 September. The production will then continue to tour until Spring 2021 with further dates and venues to be announced in due course.
Inspired by memories of working as Donald Wolfit’s dresser as a young man, Ronald Harwood’s evocative, affectionate and hilarious portrait of backstage life is regarded as one of the most acclaimed dramas of modern theatre.
It is 1942 and in a war-torn provincial theatre an aging actor-manager, known to his loyal acting company as ‘Sir’, is struggling to cling on to his sanity and complete his 227th performance of King Lear. For 16 years Norman, Sir’s devoted dresser, has been there to fix Sir’s wig, massage his ego, remind him of his opening lines and provide the sound effects in the storm scene. It is down to Norman to ensure that in spite of everything, the show goes on.
