The Tailor’s Ghost – Harrogate Theatre

Writer and Director: Gareth Durasow

A rack of suit jackets stands between a desk and two mannequins. A bespectacled man peers out through it as the audience file in. This is the first introduction to John Taylor, the youngest master tailor in England. John Taylor junior that is, John Taylor senior has been dead for a while. Not that that stops him…

Set in a struggling Northern tailor’s shop, The Tailor’s Ghost is a haunting exploration of a father-son relationship, the expectations we have of ourselves, and the burdens our parents can put upon us with their judgement and actions. It is bleak, depressing, and pin sharp in its dark comedy. But also ultimately hopeful, weaving a path through Taylor junior’s past, present and potential future.

John Taylor is expertly acted by Lee Bainbridge (at least, that’s who played him a year ago, unfortunately there was no information given for this tour, so any errors are your reviewer’s own). Bainbridge is instantly charming as he steps through the suits to speak directly to the audience and introduce his life’s work. He populates the stage with other characters by talking to the mannequins as if they were alive. There is an easy, engaging way about him as he commands the stage, speaking expertly about the process of making a man a tailored suit. The almost sensual descriptions are a lot like ASMR. He interacts with pre-recorded phone calls as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, has excellent comic timing for the pointed witticisms he throws out, and when he finally, inevitably does start to break there is a lot of Stephen Tompkinson in Brassed Off in his manic energy. In just 50 minutes, he really makes the audience care about John’s fate, playing the comedy and the sadness and the frustration so well.

The tech in the play is slickly timed and used to great effect, with phone calls from the dead and flickering lighting building the atmosphere during the spookier portions of the script. The show never commits to things being totally supernatural, the audience are left to decide what is real and what is in John’s head as he comes to terms with a life that isn’t what he expected and a father he could never please. It is clearly made on a budget however, so some of the pre-recorded sections could be cleaner. There are audible clicks where a recording device has been paused or a track cut, and there’s a customer call which would benefit from being re-recorded with a more experienced actor. But these are all things that could be fixed as the show gains popularity and therefore funding. And it’s a show which absolutely should gain that popularity. An empathetic look at life and relationships which has a lot of heart and a lot to say. The ending is a little twee and neat, but it’s also nice to think that sometimes life might throw you a win occasionally.

Runs until 24 April 2026