The Tailor-Made Man by Claudio Macor. Stage Door theatre, the Prince of Wales pub, 150 Drury Lane, London WC2 to 31 July 2024. 4✩✩✩✩ Review: William Russell.

Photo Credit: Peter Davies

The Tailor-Made Man by Claudio Macor. Stage Door theatre, the Prince of Wales pub, 150 Drury Lane, London WC2 to 31 July 2024.

4✩✩✩✩ Review: William Russell.

“Hugo Pilcher shines as Billy Haines, the nineteen thirties Hollywood star consigned to oblivion.”

The direction by Robert Mc Whirr and Hugo Pilcher’s splendid performance as the long forgotten Hollywood star Billy Haines, whose homosexuality cost him his career back in the early 1930s, are the reason for the four stars. The play by Macor is wordy and tries hard to establish Haines as some sort of victim of prejudice but is a two star affair at best. It is certainly true that Louise B Mayer sacked him because of his behaviour. Haines refused to play the game and go through a phoney marriage with Pola Negri, give up his life with his long time partner James Shields, or – and more importantly – his sexual forays around the pick up places of Hollywood. He had been playing the field since he was fourteen and saw no reason to stop, giving Shields, who had become his living in the guest house companion, a watch every time he transgressed. The claim remember what happened to Haines is said to be a threat still for gay actors in Hollywood today, but iwhile possibly true when the play was written, in the age of Kevin Spacey that is no longer the case. However Pilcher, while not all that like Haines, delivers a sexy, sparkling cheeky chappy performance – he does great torso – which shows just why Haines got away with it for so long. The Hollywood ladies loved him. He was, of course, a born survivor and after Mayer sacked him – his stars had to be wholesome for family audiences, which if truth were told, hardly any of them were – and ensured no major studio would employ him Shields, who had a career as an interior designer, persuaded Haines he had the talent to do it too. As a result Haines became the go to designer to the stars and had a long and successful career carrying on regardless sexually free from the rules of the studio system. Dereck Walker storms around effectively as Mayer, Peter Rae is nicely smarmy as the studio apparatchik trying to control this joker in the pack of cards the studio holds, and Shelley Rivers and Olivia Ruggiero slink sexily around as stars of the time who liked the lad and, by giving him jobs designing their homes, launched his second career. It is performed traverse fashion, not the easiest of choices, but McWhirr has managed to keep the focus firmly centre stage mostly round a chaise longue dressed with some spectacular shawls rather than let the audience opposite become a distraction. Gwithan Evans makes as much as is possible out of the more sketchily role of Shields – it is never clear just why he hitched his wagon to a star but it seems it was true love as the year after Haines died he commited suicide. Haines’ films, consigned to the vaults by Mayer, were eventually rescued by Ted Turner and can now be seen again. Truth is he was a pretty boy star of the time whose shelf life would have come to an end anyway as it did for so many others. Haines was certainly a victim, and Mayer was no puritan in his own life, but he was in a way his own victim – he could have played the system and now nobody would care although social media would have a field day. But stars no longer need to shine as they had to in the golden age of Hollywood when people believed them to be models of perfection. The rules of the game have changed. Haines, by the way, did eventually get his star on that walk of fame. It is an interesting choice, however, as the first play for this new venue and for production and performances deserves to draw the town for the rest of its run.

Cast

Hugo Picher – William Haines.

Gwithan Evans – Jimmy Shields.

Peter Rae – Howard Strickling.

Dereck Walker – Louis B. Mayer.

Shelley Rivers – Marion Davies.

Olivia Ruggier – Pola Negri, Carole Lombard.

Creatives

Director – Robert McWhirr.

Designer – David Shields.

Costume Design – Janet Huckle.

Original Composition – Aaron Clingham.

Video Design – Steve Capin.

Lighting Design – Richard Lambert.

Theatre, play 16 May 2024.

Photo credit – Peter Davies.