REVIEW: The Tailor-Made Man at The Stage Door Theatre until 31 July 2024

"A little bit of Hollywood has landed in the West End." ★★★ ½

For their first big theatrical play, the 'only pub theatre in the West End', Stage Door Theatre, have revived a little known play about a little known Golden Age movie star.

The Tailor-Made Man by Claudio Macor charts the rise and fall of William Haines, a brief box office superstar who successfully made the transition from silent film to the talkies, before mysteriously disappearing off the face of the celluloid, vanishing from pop culture forever. The cause of this disappearance was his unabashed gayness and unwillingness to deny the profound love for his life partner, Jimmie Shields, and the industry's inability to accept it, no matter how much money they were making off him. Bringing redacted history back to life, this biographical drama chronicles Haines' career, love, and friendships as he grows into a defiant star against this tide of systemic homophobia, until he is eventually drowned by it.

Hugo Pilcher as Haines and Gwithian Evans as Shields (and, with impressive versatility, director E. Mason Hopper and butler Roderick) are the undisputed stars of this show. Pilcher makes his London theatre debut with aplomb, as though he's been doing it for years, and the gentle chemistry he has with Evans gives Haines' and Shields' love a real depth. Evans stands out here, as he gets to display a gifted range through three wildly different characters, two of which are very minor, but nonetheless actually enhance his performance as Jimmie, because you all the more appreciate his spectacularly subtle performance.

Outside the action, Janet Huckle's costumes and David Shields' set are superb, far beyond what you'd expect from a fringe theatre, and Richard Lambert's lights are slick and atmospheric, taking you down to the dark depths of a capitalist psyche and up to the giddy heights of California sunshine.

The play itself then is excellent, but this production has one major flaw: the space. Wedged onto a traverse setup with a cramped jumble of pub furniture either side, it undermines the sheer professionalism and otherwise beauty of this version. Ultimately, it becomes distracting, halfway to being an immersive piece and halfway to being traditional theatre, without fully achieving either. Seeing characters coming and going from non-existent wings, peeking through random doors waiting for their cue, kind of breaks the illusion. The effect is compounded by segments, though often beautifully acted, of breaking the fourth wall to address the viewers, then losing itself again in its internal reality, your awareness suddenly jolted when the action moves on but you're still staring at the faces of the other side of the audience. If you're unlucky enough to sit at the back or in a corner, you'll find yourself viewing from some odd angles and this whole thing becomes just a bit too distracting – though in a bigger space would work nicely.

It's a shame because the piece is otherwise pretty flawless, and beneath some uncomfortable seating the value for money is exceptional: the performances and production values could have come fresh from up the road. This is perfectly placed for London's theatreland. I mean, really, what an on point cast. It says something perhaps that my biggest complaint is only that it is too big, too good for its small space.

All that said, much of this view could be personal preference. For me, the space remained jarringly too much like a pub to be consistent with its classical Hollywood setting, especially given the effort dedicated to the costumes and set, which gives it a very literal feel, rather than abstract, which, though risky, may have been an approach more sympathetic to the surroundings.

However, if you get there early, don't be shy and bag yourself a decent seat, you’ll find an amazingly professional production waiting for you. Rarely would you see such talent so far up close, and I would always, always encourage you to support independent pieces and venues like these.

Though not wildly original in its execution, it is a thumpingly solid, reliable piece of theatre (like a good bit of pub furniture), with the cast and the writing really shining here. The final act trips up on a few false endings, but otherwise, like the rest of the play, hits the mark, delivers the pace, and strikes the right tone. It's touching, as important as ever, and thoroughly engaging from start to finish. With a stunning cast and impressive production, truly a little bit of Hollywood has landed in the West End.

The Tailor-Made Man by Claudio Macor

Directed by Robert McWhir

Produced by Lambco Productions

Stage Door Theatre, 9 May – 31 July 2024

Box Office: https://www.stagedoortheatre.co.uk/the-tailor-made-man-17-april-12-june/

Reviewed by Alix Owen