Ronald Harwood’s highly acclaimed drama The Dresser starring the much loved UK entertainer
Julian Clary as Norman and Olivier Award winner Matthew Kelly as ‘Sir’. Directed by Olivier Award winning
Terry Johnson, The Dresser is coming to the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford from 8th to 12th February
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.
The Oscar-nominated 1983 film version of The Dresser, starring Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay,
was filmed in several locations around Yorkshire, including at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. This
was just before the theatre closed for extensive refurbishment in 1984. The film’s producers were
looking for a 1940s touring theatre and they chose the Alhambra Theatre, which at that time, hadn’t
been renovated, so it still looked as it did when it was built in 1914.
To book call Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk
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