Peter Yates (Summer Holiday, Murphy’s War) directs Albert Finney (Charlie Bubbles), Tom Courtenay (Otley), and Edward Fox (Force 10 from Navarone) in The Dresser, a heart-rending yet darkly humorous tale of life in the theatre.During the Second World War, a group of actors take Shakespeare across the industrial north, led by an ageing and imperious actor known only as ‘Sir’ (Finney), against a background of air-raid sirens and exploding bombs.With his mental and physical condition deteriorating, selfless dresser Norman (Courtenay) struggles to ensure that the show – Sir’s 227th performance as King Lear – goes on.Based on the experiences of screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), assistant to legendary Shakespearean actor Sir Donald Wolfit (90 in the Shade), The Dresser is a moving exploration of loyalty and unrequited love.
