Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA
through September 3, 2017
by Jarice Hanson
When Ed Dixon bounds onto the stage in his one-man show
about his friend and mentor, he has the audience enthralled within the first 15
seconds. Dixon, who wrote the 90-minute memoire about the great British
character actor, George Rose, performs his tribute with energy and total
commitment. He connects to the audience with his booming voice, a stage presence
cultivated by over 50 years in the business, and the warmth of a master
storyteller. Aided with direction by Broadway director Eric Schaeffer, the
evening of entertainment is fascinating and profound.
Dixon first met George Rose in a road production of “The
Student Prince,” and was immediately taken with the way Rose commanded the
stage, and flabbergasted that Rose actually had his contract written so that he
had license to ad-lib. Undoubtedly, Rose was a complicated, fascinating actor
who had his quirks and passions, like sharing his New York apartment with two
mountain lions For the next few
decades the friendship grew as each developed their Broadway careers, often
supporting each other through good shows and flops. When Rose died mysteriously
and tragically near his home in the Dominican Republic, Dixon suffered the pain
of loss until he gained control of his life and began acting and writing again.
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| Photo by Micah Logsdon |
Dixon, a character actor himself, who now plays many of the
same roles that made Rose famous (Mr. Doolittle in “My Fair Lady,” Major
General Stanley in “The Pirates of Penzance,” to name but two) nails
impressions of Rose, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, and other celebrities
throughout the telling of the story, and never loses his connection to the audience.
When the inevitable cell phone goes off at the same time a car revs an engine
outside the theater, Dixon deftly incorporates it into the story.
There’s no doubt that all actors enjoy a good story about
another actor, but Dixon has made an art form out of telling a good yarn, and
making you feel that you are in the room as he laughingly, lovingly, and
sometimes, painfully recreates the life of one of the most important people
he’s ever known. This tribute honors George Rose, and it raises Ed Dixon to the
pantheon of masterful memoirists.
