The Caretaker

The Caretaker

The Caretaker

Almost half a century ago Harold Pinter presented a play that would cement his status as a leading British playwright. It was his first major success – a play that pitted a homeless man against two brothers and continued to be performed for the next 40 years.

This time “The Caretaker” comes to the Trafalgar Studios 1 with Tony Award winning actor Jonathan Pryce in the role of Davies the Tramp. It is a highly anticipated production that has already earned many admirers after wowing audiences at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre from October 2009. It is a West End transfer that has to be seen.

The story focuses on a tramp named Davies (portrayed by Pryce), a man who is down on his luck and desperate for a place to stay. He is eventually invited to stay in the house of Aston (Peter McDonald) and he takes up the offer eagerly, hoping to turn his luck around by wowing the host and sealing the deal for something a little more permanent. He has been living close to the bone for far too long and he does not want this opportunity to slip through his fingers. However, things take a different turn with the arrival of Mick, Aston’s intense sibling, which forces the three men to come at odds with one another. But Davies knows he is no match for brothers and he fears he might be the odd one out.

“The Caretaker” is a story of power games between three men, with comic writing setting itself against often frightening actions.

The show was first seen at the Arts Theatre in London back in 1960, before transferring to the Duchess Theatre. It was the show that brought Pinter’s work to the attention of the masses, making it a fitting production to be the first of his to appear in the West End since the Nobel Prize Winning playwright’s death in 2008.

And if anyone is to do justice to the character of Davies it is Jonathan Pryce, a two time Tony Award winning actor who has appeared on Broadway, in the West End, in Hollywood movies and in low budget productions. His two Tony Awards were for his work in two Broadway productions; 1977’s “Comedians” and 1991’s “Miss Saigon”, which he has appeared in alongside the likes of “The Churchill Play” at the Nottingham Playhouse in 1974 and London productions such as “Hamlet” at the Royal Court Theatre (landing another award), “My Fair Lady” at the National Theatre (2001), “The Goat” at the Almeida Theatre (2004) and “Dimetos” at the Donmar Warehouse (2009). His film credits include “Tomorrow Never Dies”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The New World”.

“The Caretaker” appears at the Trafalgar Studios 1 starting from Monday 18th January 2010 (with previews from Tuesday 12th January 2010) and continuing to Saturday 17th April 2010.