The Caretaker

We’re in London, at the tail end of the 1950s, in a derelict room stuffed with junk, detritus and a bucket for the leaky ceiling. Enter two men: the room’s occupant, the gentle and damaged Aston, and Davies, a mercurial drifter whom Aston has brought in from the streets. Soon they’re joined by the building’s owner, Aston’s brother: the explosively unpredictable Mick.

What follows is a darkly comic, unsettling tango as the three men vie for territory, opportunity and control that remains tantalisingly out of reach.

Premiered in 1960, The Caretaker was Harold Pinter’s first major success and is now regarded as a landmark of 20th century drama, laced with astringent wit and unsentimental compassion.

Justin Audibert, Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, directs.

The cast is Adam Gillen (Amadeus National Theatre, ITV’s Benidorm) as Aston; Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars, Six Characters in Search of an Author CFT, Faith Healer Almeida and Broadway) as Davies; and Jack Riddiford (Romeo and Juliet Almeida Theatre, Jerusalem West End) as Mick.