If you’re a fan of Happy Valley, Black Doves or Last Tango in Halifax, we’d forgive you for thinking you’ve already seen Sarah Lancashire’s best performance - but you probably haven’t seen The Dresser yet. The adaptation of Ronald Harwood's 1980 play, which first aired in 2015, tells the familiar story of the relationship between an ageing Shakespearean actor and his devoted dresser – and Sarah’s performance is so unbeatable it’s earned itself a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Anthony Hopkins plays Sir, the tyrannical actor who puts his dresser Norman (Ian McKellen) through his paces, to say the least. But the real standout performance is from Sarah, who plays Stage Manager Madge and is equally devoted to Sir, despite finding herself at odds with his dresser. It’s an intimate portrait of friendship, devotion and ageing – and one that we’d highly recommend watching on repeat tonight.
But before you tune in, here’s everything you need to know about The Dresser, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is The Dresser about?
The film, which first aired on BBC Two in 2015, is an adaptation of Ronald Harwood's 1980 play. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the story is inspired by Harwood’s own experiences as a dresser for actor/manager Sir Donald Wolfit during the same period.
All the action takes place over one fateful night in a small regional theatre. A troupe of touring actors are putting on a production of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Bombs are falling, sirens are wailing and the curtain is due to go up in an hour – the only trouble is, actor/manager Sir (Anthony Hopkins), who’s playing Lear, is nowhere to be seen.
Who must deal with the nightmare situation? His dresser, Norman (Ian McKellen), of course. Cue a scramble to keep the production alive while a frantic search for Sir ensues. The question is, will Sir turn up in time and if he does, will he be able to perform that night?
The brilliant Sarah Lancashire plays, Madge, who’s responsible for the show and for the decision as to whether it should run. She explained in a BBC interview: “She's really overruled by Norman and Sir, she has his best interests at heart because she can see that he's not well. Madge has been with them for a very, very long time - she probably serves as Company Manager when they're moving from theatre to theatre on a Sunday.
“She's quite a sad character, there's a well of disappointment, bitterness, resentment and loneliness because she has been in love with Sir for 20-30 years unrequited.”
For those who don’t know the original story, Ian McKellen, who plays Norman, shared some more insight into what happens on the fateful night: “Sir has had some sort of a collapse, literally in a public place so his vulnerability shows through and people are embarrassed by his behaviour. The dresser chances on him in the square and takes him to the hospital thinking he needs help.
“With the help, or lack of it from other people around, like the stage manager and Her Ladyship, the leading lady of the company, Norman manages to get Sir back onto some sort of track and pushes him along it until he's tipped out onto the stage.”
Who’s in the cast of The Dresser?
The cast of The Dresser includes:
- Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) as Madge
- Anthony Hopkins (The Father) as Sir
- Ian McKellen (X-Men) as Norman
- Emily Watson (Hamnet) as Her Ladyship
- Edward Fox (The Day of the Jackal) as Thornton
- Vanessa Kirby (Eden) as Irene
Is there a trailer for The Dresser?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for The Dresser below.
Is The Dresser any good?
Yes – it’s a truly brilliant film featuring standout performances from Sarah Lancashire, Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins As well as capturing all the nuances of a relationship between a veteran actor and his personal assistant, it tackles mental decline and the demons of old age in a way we don’t often see on screen. Viewers have called the acting “superb”, the plot “unique” and the film “perfect for theatregoers”. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the film has earned itself a 100% score on reviews platform Rotten Tomatoes.
How can I watch The Dresser?
The Dresser is available to watch now on Prime Video.
What other Sarah Lancashire dramas can I watch now?
If you enjoy a bit of family drama, we’d recommend watching MotherFatherSon. Sarah is flawless as an MP who enters a power struggle with ruthless millionaire media mogul Max Finch (Richard Gere). You can watch MotherFatherSonnow on BBC iPlayer. For another great performance from Sarah, we’d suggest Julia. Sarah steps into the shoes of the titular Julia Child who made food TV (think The Naked Chef) become a thing. You can watch The Dresser on Prime Video.
