eventually reach fruition, despite his mental disability. Mick believes that his ambitions for a successful career outweigh his responsibility to care for his mentally damaged brother. In the end however all three men are deceiving themselves. Their lives may continue on beyond the end of the play just as they are at the beginning and throughout it. The deceit and isolation in the play lead to a world where time, place, identity, and language are ambiguous and fluid. Production history Premiere On 27 April 1960, the first production of The Caretaker opened at the Arts Theatre, in London, prior to transferring to the West End's Duchess Theatre on 30 May 1960. It starred Donald Pleasence as Davies, Alan Bates as Mick, and Peter Woodthorpe as Aston. The productions received generally strong reviews. Other notable productions and major revivals 1961 – Lyceum Theatre, New York City, on 4 October 1961 by Roger L. Stevens, Frederick Brisson, and Gilbert Miller. Directed by Donald McWhinnie. Setting: Bert Currah, Sets Supervised and lighting: Paul Morrison, Production Supervisor: Fred Herbert, Stage Manager/Understudy: Joel Fabiani Cast: Alan Bates (Mick), Donald Pleasence (Davies), and Robert Shaw (Aston). 1972 – Residenz Theatre, Munich directed by August Everding Cast: Heinz Rühmann (Davies), Gerd Baltus (Aston) and Michael Schwarzmaier (Mick) 1976 – Virginia Museum Theater (VMT), directed by James Kirkland. Part of the mission of the Virginia Museum at the time was to disseminate the arts, including drama, widely to the people of Virginia. In this regard, it is noteworthy that this was the second Pinter play to be produced by VMT, showing the increasing popularity of his works. This production followed the company's statewide tour of The Homecoming two years previously. 1981 – Royal National Theatre. Directed by Kenneth Ives. Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Kenneth Cranham, and Warren Mitchell 1983 – Royal Exchange, Manchester directed by Richard Negri Cast: Charlie Drake (Davies), Jonathan Hackett (Aston) and Tim McInnerny (Mick). Michael Angelis also played one of the two brothers. 1990 – Sherman Theatre, Cardiff (24 October – 10 November) Cast: Miriam Karlin played Davies – the first time a woman performed the title role – with Mark Lewis Jones (Aston) and Gary Lilburn (Mick). Directed by Annie Castledine. 1991 – Comedy Theatre, London. Directed by Harold Pinter. Cast: Donald Pleasence, Peter Howitt and Colin Firth 1993 – The Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C. (12 September – 24 October) Cast: Emery Battis, Richard