Two choice actors in roles custom-made for choice actors: reason enough for this citysider to make the trek to distant lands. But in the case of San Jose Rep's production of The Dresser starring the incredibly accomplished Ken Ruta and James Carpenter, the experience may not justify the excursion – not that one should make a specific correlation between mileage and relative satisfaction. But my reading of the opening-night audience, who presumably are a more proximate demographic, mirrored my own: respect but only intermittent involvement.
But let's start with respect and admiration. Ronald Harwood's 1980 play is big in the way that makes it an increasing rarity on Broadway and especially in tight-belted regional theaters. It has a large cast, period costumes of both 1940s and Shakespearean vintage, and a detailed set (by Kent Dorsey) that must make several huge scene changes in short order. The play itself is in what is frequently labeled the "well-made play" genre, and even when first produced 31 years ago, was a bit of throwback.
This is how it should be, considering an old theatrical tradition that Harwood's script depicts. The year is 1940, the era of the actor-manager in England, in which a well-regarded acting veteran runs his own touring company where he headlines a repertoire of roles in which he has established his reputation. In the case of The Dresser, the actor-manager is identified only as Sir, a self-bestowed honorific, and both he and his company are in decline.
The war has siphoned off most of the young male talent. "I've been reduced to old men, cripples, and nancy boys," he moans from his dressing room in a second-tier provincial town. But of more concern to those around him is his deteriorating mind. Having to be reminded that King Lear, his signature role, is next on the schedule, he asks his dresser, "How does it start?" The fiercely loyal Norman fends off the doomsayers in the company, including Sir's leading lady/significant other and the no-nonsense stage manager, who are ready to cancel the performance and, inevitably, Sir's career. The show, and Sir, must go on, and Norman wheedles, cajoles, and squeezes out one more Lear from the old man.
Highlights of the play, and of director Rick Lombardo's production, are scenes from that performance as seen from backstage, where actors and stagehands are in very states of panic as Sir precariously pulls it together. It's kind of like Noises Off with tragic undertones.
But the dressing-room scenes are surprisingly banal, as various characters pop in and out to confront Sir with their various issues. The dialogue just isn't very interesting, and it begins to feel as if we are watching variations on the same situations over and over in the lengthy play. This absence of dramatic vibrancy is surprising, inasmuch as Harwood based the play on his own experiences as dresser to actor-manager Donald Wolfit.
As Sir, whose role as Lear is a metaphor for his own mental disintegration, Ruta is frequently at one with the tottering but volatile actor. But Carpenter's fey and pinched performance as Norman, who harbors an unspoken love for Sir, doesn't develop into something of intensity or empathy. There is able if unflourished work from the large supporting cast, with the strongest characterization coming from Lynne Soffer as the dour stage manager who has also secretly loved Sir over her long service.
The Dresser doesn't quite rise to the possibilities of its theatrical milieu, whether in its histrionic or human gleanings. But that a theater is offering a full-blown staging of this elaborate, expansive, and expensive play is a cause of considerable admiration, even if coupled with tempered appreciation.
The Dresser will run at San Jose Rep through Feb. 20. Tickets are $35-$74. Call (408) 367-7255 or go to www.sanjoserep.com.