The Tailor-Made Man
Stage Door Theatre • 9th May - 18th May / 16th July - 31st July
“Remember what happened to Billy Haines” was the warning being whispered around Hollywood during its heyday, a reminder of the power the major motion picture studio bosses had in both making and breaking the career of any young actor deemed worthy of being groomed for stardom. More specifically, it was a warning to any gay actor that they should not only stay firmly in the closet and keep their private life out of the papers but, if required, agree to an arranged marriage, preferably to one of the studios own rising female stars in order to maximise on the publicity of the occasion. These so called ‘lavender’ marriages were not uncommon, and whilst names like Rock Hudson, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott were continually speculated upon as to having agreed to such marriages of convenience in order that their silver-screen image would remain untarnished by any possibility of a leaked gay affair, the reason William ‘Billy’ Haines still remains largely unheard of today is ironically due to the fact that he refused to capitulate to the studio’s final ultimatum to get married, instead he unashamedly choose to continue his relationship with partner James ‘Jimmie’ Shields, who he had met on a trip to New York in 1926. So incensed was MGM Studio boss Louis B. Mayer at Haines steadfastness on the matter that he terminated his contract, despite Haines having been the top box office star of 1930. To further eradicate his name from the Hollywood history books, Mayer also demanded that all of Billy Haines films be taken out of circulation and locked in the MGM vaults, the result being that Haines all but vanished from public view overnight.
This is the backdrop to Claudio Macor’s fascinating play, The Tailor-Made Man, presented by Lambco Productions at their new Drury Lane home, the Stage Door Theatre above the Prince of Wales pub. Performed on a traverse stage that runs from corner to corner of this first-floor function room, it presents an interesting space to not only watch such an ambitious piece of theatre, but no doubt to also perform in, given just how visible the close-proximity audience must have seemed to the actors in this intimate space. Lambco are of course no strangers to bringing compelling theatre to interesting spaces which, post pandemic, has included the Garden Theatre in Vauxhall and Kensington’s Drayton Arms Theatre, but having now settled in the West End with a full schedule of upcoming productions to look forward to, The Tailor-Made Man marks Lambco’s first play at The Stage Door, (their inaugural production of ‘Marry Me A Little’ having been a musical).
This latest revival of Macor’s play, (it was first performed in 1992), has an impressive six-strong cast, with some members doubling up in secondary roles to further help transport the audience back to the golden age of Hollywood. With Hugo Pilcher’s own matinee idol good looks not only baring a passing resemblance to the real-life Haines, (a surprise I later discovered, having been made sufficiently curious by this production to google the story of William ‘Billy’ Haines for myself), he also captures all of the cocky confidence and quick-witted charm of Haines on screen persona. Whilst this all works well as we watch Haines early years as an up-and-coming Hollywood actor unfold, steadfastly holding on to these characteristics throughout this production ultimately robs the character of a greater emotional arc that I feel could have been explored more as we watch his downfall become almost inevitable. Director Robert McWhir seems rather more interested in letting the plays greater emotional impact be seen through the response of those in Haines direct orbit, including screenwriter Victor Darro (Peter Rae) the legendary studio chief Louis B. Mayer, (Dereck Walker on explosively good form) and more specifically through Haines long-suffering but devoted boyfriend Jimmie Shields (Gwithian Evans).
The overall impact of this means that this production of The Tailor-Made Man actually seems to have become the story of Jimmie Shields, something that is further enhanced by his breaking of the fourth wall to occasionally address the audience with his own personal commentary of the unfolding events. Add to this Evan’s impressively sympathetic performance in the role and I eventually found myself feeling more empathy towards Shield’s journey than for Haines himself. This may or may not have been the intention, but it felt strange given this was supposed to be Haines story, who’s steadfastness in remaining his authentic self would have otherwise kept him as the hero of the story, especially given just how high the stakes had been for him in doing so.
That being said, having quickly found myself oblivious to the surroundings of this idiosyncratic venue and transported back to the Hollywood of the 1920’s/30’s ultimately speaks volumes about the quality of the performances delivered by this talented cast, as well as the set from designer (David Shields) and costume supervisor, (Janet Huckle). McWhir’s direction also keeps an engaging pace throughout, although there are a couple of scenes played for comedic effect which, whilst no doubt in keeping with the exaggerated acting style of the silent films of the day, leads to a couple of the characters slipping momentarily into caricatures of themselves. Thankfully these distractions are few and far between and are ultimately saved by the chemistry created on stage between Pilcher and Evans as the unconventional Hollywood couple, Richard Lamberts always inventive lighting design being used to good effect when isolating the lovers from their environment during the couple’s more intimate moments, shrouding them in an almost protective veil of light away from the harsher realities of the outside world.
Completing the cast, and adding a large dose of Hollywood ‘leading lady’ glamour to proceedings are Shelley Rivers who plays Marion Davies, and Oilia Ruggiero in the dual roles of Carole Lombard and the larger-than-life Pola Negri.
The Tailor Made Man is an intriguing peak behind the scenes of the Hollywood star system of the twenties and thirties, and whilst it doesn’t exactly restore the reputation of this largely forgotten figure of LGBTQIA+ history, (his sexual appetite and wandering eye being just one more thing his partner found himself having to come to terms with) it successfully reinstates William ‘Billy’ Haines rightful place into the Hollywood history books and paints a portrait of someone who was determined to stay true to himself even if it meant the eventual premature end to a once stellar career in motion pictures.
★★★★
review: Simon J. Webb
photographs: Peter Davies