The story
of Garrard (Rossiter),
the managing director of a company that manufactured
moving walls and
doors. A compulsive salesman, obsessed with his work and
efficiency, he
has little regard for anything or anyone else, including
his family.
Leonard played the role of Garrard.
Leonard's Role Remembered:
"...But Garrard, for all his hyperactivity, is dead -
spiritually dead;
and it was this emptiness which Leonard emphasised,
initially so
wittily, and finally so movingly, just as much as all the
frenetic
obsession with efficiency." - Robert Tanitch.
"He created a character who could be still and watchful,
but whose
whole personality was charged with the ceaseless and
obsessive working
of the mind within...He portrayed obsession so brilliantly
because
obsession comes from underground, and he knew how to work
underground."
- Michael Frayn, author.
"...He rehearsed perfectly and was one of the most
exciting actors to
play with I've ever known. He exuded power and a sort of
sexual energy
and I continued to be rather frightened of him offstage."
- Prunella
Scales, co-star (pictured).
"Len was a mercurial actor - the reactions were swift and
accurate...It
is no wonder that squash was a game he could play with the
best and
play to win." - James Grout.
Critical Review:
"Shedding his familiar manic mannerisms he gives a
brilliant study of a
man in the grip of an idee fixe." - Michael Billington,
The Guardian.