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The Caretaker - Trafalgar Studios

January 2010 sees the first Harold Pinter play to be performed in the capital since the renowned playwright passed away at the end of 2008. It is the story of a tramp named Davies and the odds that come between him and two brothers whilst he desperately tries to find a permanent place to live.

The Caretaker was the first of Pinter’s plays to truly cement him as the UK’s leading playwright and so it is fitting that the show appears as the fist Pinter production since his death. It is a brilliant piece of work and its staging is a perfect celebration of the writer that provided us with many cultural gems such as “The Homecoming”, “No Man’s Land” and “Betrayal”.

The show first emerged in front of a London audience at the Arts Theatre in 1960 to great success and a subsequent transfer to the Duchess Theatre took the success even further and before long Pinter was a household name. 2010 sees the show’s return to the West End, appearing at the Trafalgar Studios until April 2010 following a well received run at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre. It was on this North West stage that Jonathan Pryce stepped into the role of Davies the Tramp, a character he will continue to play when the show arrives in London.

In The Caretaker, Davies is a Tramp who is down on his luck and tired of living life so close to the bone, leaving him sad and desperately in need of a place to stay for the night. He receives help from a man called Aston, who invites him to stay for an evening in his home – an invitation that Davies gladly accepts. But Davies is hoping for something a little more and he intends to make a sparkling impression on his host with the aim of sealing the deal on something a little more permanent.

But things do not go according to plan and rather than enjoy a peaceful evening where he wows Aston and finds himself a new residence, his plans are turned upside down with the arrival of Aston’s brother. An intense man, Mick sends the evening in a new direction as the three men come head to head and Davies, the outsider, feeling like he does not belong.

For the role of Davies, there is no better actor than the renowned thespian Jonathan Pryce, who stars alongside Peter McDonald in the anticipated production. With stage credits and films under his belt, Pryce has enjoyed a long career that has been honoured with two Tony Awards and critical acclaim. His credits include the movies “The Pirates of the Caribbean” and the Pierce Brosnan Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies”, whilst his theatre credits include “Dimetos” at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, “Glengarry Glen Ross” at the Apollo Theatre in 2007 and “My Fair Lady” at the National in 2001. His two Tony Awards were bestowed upon him for his work in the Broadway shows “Comedians” and “Miss Saigon” in 1977 and 1991 respectively.

The Caretaker is at Trafalgar Studios 1 from Monday 18th January 2010 (with previews from Tuesday 12th January 2010) and continues until Saturday 17th April 2010.