Review: Adaptation of Harold Pinter’s THE DWARFS at White Bear Theatre until 5 June 2022

‘Pinter fans should flock to see this play’ ★★★★ ½

Harold Pinter’s semi-autobiographical novel ‘The Dwarfs’ was written in the early 1950s and sows the seeds of his subsequent work.  Pinter himself adapted his novel for radio and also for the stage. This version is adapted by Kerry Lee Crabbe and retains many of the Pinter trademarks which make this show a welcome addition to the cannon. We trust Pinter himself might have approved but the best person to ask is surely director Harry Burton. Burton has had a long association with Pinter, having worked with him and also having directed his plays with much critical success. The play is about the friendship between three young men, their betrayals, jealousies and the fragility of their state of mind. 

The script might seem strange, discombobulating and out of date to young people of today, with a few episodes of horrible misogyny towards the one female character in the play and some scenes when two of the men appear to be fruitcakes. So, it’s worth noting that the period is post WW2 when young men came back from the war having seen, been touched by or experienced some of the horrors including the death camps.  (Pinter was born into a Jewish family in the London borough of Hackney.) They were not in the best state of mind. The misogyny is just a reflection of the period.  

The actors are all excellent. Their delivery of lines feels very Pinteresque (although Denise Laniyan as Virginia seems more naturalistic) with staccato sentences, half-finished thoughts and unexplained behaviour. It’s as though Pinter just expunges all the exposition and leaves the viewer to work it all out for themselves.  

Ossian Perret as Len was my favourite character of the night with his jittery barely sane manner, with the appearance of a sapling which might break with just a little pressure. He covers up his worst terrors by presenting a normal outward appearance. It is the dwarfs (which are visible only to him) who often seem to come to his help by keeping him calm. Joseph Potter as Pete was very powerful (and even genuinely scary at times). He also gave a wonderful re-enactment of one of his nightmares.

Here a quick word about the soundscape (by Julian Starr) as this was very helpful in adding a chilling dimension to the above-mentioned night terror. The musical numbers were also well chosen and added to the enjoyment of the play.  Charlie MacCechan as Mark excellently portrayed a layabout character with much laconic charm. He was the only one of the three men who seemed to be taking it all in his stride. Finally, Denise Laniyan as Virginia made a solid professional stage debut. In Pinter’s dramatization, there were only the three male characters, making it a rather short play. Having Virginia in the play gives an opportunity to show how she takes revenge on her controlling boyfriend leaving him disempowered.  This works for me!

Pinter fans should flock to see this play.

Read our archive interview with director Harry Burton on his long association with Harold Pinter here https://www.londonpubtheatres.com/adventures-in-pinterland-harry-burton

Images: Bec Austin

Harold Pinter’s THE DWARFS

Adapted by Kerry Lee Crabbe, directed by Harry Burton,

White Bear Theatre 10 May - 5 June 2022

Box Office https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/Harold-Pinter's-THE-DWARFS

Creative Team:

Director Harry Burton

Producer Kristin Tarry

Producer Charlie MacGechan

Associate Producer Jessica Pearce

Casting Director Martin Poile (currently Casting Assistant at the Royal Shakespeare Company)

Reviewer

Heather Jeffery is Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine