Berto_Tony_201307_PhD .pdf - University of Guelph

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the earlier part of career, and his much more traditional works, seen at Mulgrave Road and
the Tarragon.
Performance Text
Details of the conditions of production and reception allow a further examination of
the production of His Greatness. However, this analysis is also limited by the availability of
records and ephemera from the production. Whereas a broad range of records was available
for some of the plays examined in this study, various ephemera, such as set and costume
designs, and scripts from the play’s developmental stages, were not available for His
Greatness. However, press stills created for press kits were located. While these kinds of
photographs are not taken from actual performances (they are usually created before the
actors have finished their rehearsal process), they generally feature the actors and some
costume details to be used in performance.
The press photos show three actors all who appear to somewhat approximate the
ages of the characters (as based on a historical figure) they play (Allan Gray was age sixty
at the time and Williams would have been sixty-eight when in Vancouver). When dressed
for the reception they all appear in era-appropriate formal wear. However, when in casual
clothes, Playwright wears oversized glasses, a casual sports-jacket and a wide lapelled shirt
with an open neck. Actor Allan Gray also wears a neatly trimmed beard. A simple Google
image search finds numerous photos of Williams in the seventies in similar attire, with a
similar beard. Moreover, Playwright’s glasses appear to be identical to the eyewear that
Williams sported in that era. The details and nature of the Gray’s costume appear to
promote a reading of Playwright as Williams.