Photo credit (c) Lynsey Nicol Photography

The Dresser Review, 18.07.2026, Mr A. Reily

Mr A. Reily attended The Barn Theatre, Southwick to see The Dresser by Ronald Harwood recently (18 July 2026) and was so impressed by what he saw he has written this review for us. Mr Reily’s stage credentials include RSC both UK and European Tours including Hamlet, King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing. He was also involved with the revamp of the UK Gilbert and Sullivan Tours including H.M.S Pinafore, The Mikado and The Yeoman Of The Guard. He was Artistic Director of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and the Boy George musical Taboo.
His voice acting work includes numerous Disney animation contracts, BBC Radio 4 Radio Dramas and the Star Wars Cartoon Collection.

The Dresser by Ronald Harwood, directed by H. Reeves – a review by A. Reily

From the moment the curtains opened in Act One, I was absorbed into that dressing room. Straight away witnessing Norman’s characteristics, quick wit, perfect delivery, I knew I was buckled in for an excellent show. To think Roger Butler only started acting four years ago, just wow, what a talent. His performance throughout the show was completely on point, having really grasped the complex character of Norman. Sir’s passing was the most emotionally raw acting I have ever seen in all the productions of The Dresser I have watched. I believe someone was chopping onions near me.

Bob Ryder was cast perfectly. Sir is a very difficult part to portray. Being able to grasp the cognitive decline, the memory loss and very erratic behaviour of someone who is thought to be suffering with dementia isn’t an easy task, but Bob delivered this with perfection. The decline of Sir sits very difficult with many audience members, especially in more modern times with dementia percentages rising. It makes us think of loved ones and the daily battle of witnessing someone we care dearly about lose who they were for brief moments, but then listing memories from years ago. The onstage connection between Sir and Norman was so believable.

The three female leads were also brilliantly cast. Sarah Papouis delivered Her Ladyship to a tee, a wife so in love but hurting whilst
witnessing the man she married suffer with ongoing declining health. She portrayed a woman questioning so many parts of their personal
relationship across the years but with love outweighing the pain, even with so many regrets and much resentment. Irene played with perfection, the youth, the aspirations to make it in the world of theatre, being in awe of the surroundings and a huge admiration for Sir. Played with conviction by Emily James, who used her facial expressions of being lost in the moment and hanging on to Sir’s every word to great effect. When the inappropriate behaviour of Sir becomes more obvious, it makes for an uncomfortable watch at times, which is exactly how, as the audience, we are made to feel. Emily James is a shining star.

Madge a powerhouse of an actress, Claire Coull, wow what a performance. Clashing with Norman on so many occasions throughout the show, Madge always has Sirs best interests at heart, advocating cancelling performances, all because she wants what is best for Sir. For years and years, she has put up with Sir and his antics, being spoken down to at times, her thoughts and ideas cast aside, but she is still there running the show. A very moving performance in ‘The Ring’ scene.  A marvellous performance all round.

To the supporting cast I commend you – you were all fantastic and really carried personal strong performances throughout. Everyone adding
another dynamic to the cast. The lighting was very effective and sound effects were spot on. Were the costumes hired in? Because they were fantastic. The hair and make- up was better than many a professional show I have seen or been in. The set, what a design, executed perfectly. It worked so well. It was only the second production of the nine I have seen, that had the dust falling effect on the bombing and it looked brilliant.

I find with amateur theatre a lot of the time the scene changes are clumsy, with banging or whispers behind the proscenium curtains. But
nothing about this show was amateur, I’d have happily paid in the region of £35-40 for my ticket due to how good a production this was. One of the highlights for me of Act Two was watching the set change in the low light, seeing the revolving set, the efficiency of the stage hands and cast moving gracefully (well more like gliding) to prepare for the next scene, everyone in sync, not one piece of set bumping into another bit or whispers of unsure stage hands.

A huge well done to H Reeves the director and his team for producing a very high standard, tricky piece of theatre. I shall be looking at attending more Southwick Players shows in future if this is the standard of performance. Thank you everyone involved for an excellent evening of such talented performers on my door step.