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Tributes to actor who championed small theatres

Laura DevlinNorfolk
Supplied A black and white head and shoulders image of a man smiling at the camera. He has grey hair and is wearing a light-coloured shirt.Supplied
Desmond Barrit was known for his panto dames - but did much more

Tributes have been paid to a Shakespearean actor who was a strong supporter of small theatres in Norfolk.

Desmond Barrit, who has died aged 81, directed pantomimes at the Pavilion Theatre at Gorleston-on-Sea and Sheringham Little Theatre, alongside a varied career on stage and screen.

Known by many as a panto dame, he was also an Olivier award-winning actor who starred in the West End and at the National Theatre.

"He was such a big character, booming his voice through the theatre, and he really lifted the energy whenever he was in, and we loved having him here," said Alex Youngs of Gorleston Pavilion.

"We couldn't quite believe our luck that he was there, for a man of his stature and standing within the arts community, to champion such venues like ours and Sheringham Little Theatre was just such a joy."

A man in a white polo shirt and grey jeans stands on a pavement outside the entrance to a theatre on a sunny day. Behind him are three sets of red doors and above his head the words Pavilion Theatre across the building in gold on red. The comedy/tragedy theatre masks are on the doors in yellow.
Youngs (pictured) said the theatre was always humbled by Barrit's generosity and his grounded, down-to-earth nature

Barrit had played the panto dame at Norwich Theatre Royal for several years when he became involved with the smaller, seaside theatres.

The Welsh-born actor went on to direct Gorleston's pantos, and starred as its dame for almost 20 years and encourage Sheringham to reintroduce in-house summer drama.

In 2013, he told BBC Radio Norfolk why pantomime was so important for cultivating audiences of the future.

"If you grab them when they're five years old, then you've got them at 35 years old, when they're actually buying the tickets, not coming with their parents," he said.

"You do it by putting on a good pantomime."

He was due to direct a fourth summer programme for the Little Theatre when he was offered a major role in the National Theatre's touring production of The History Boys in 2005.

"We were very honoured to have the support of such an acclaimed actor as Des, and we used to laugh about him winning an award for his Bottom – in A Midsummer Night's Dream," said Sheringham's theatre director, Debbie Thompson.

"We will miss him."

Four men stand close together and look at the camera in a head and shoulders image. Left to right, a man with grey hair, beige jacket and white shirt; a man with short dark hair and black shirt, a man with grey hair and pink shirt, and a man with brown hair and a black shirt.
Barrit (in pink shirt) starred in a 2007 BBC Radio 3 production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard (left), alongside Andrew Lincoln (centre) and Danny Webber (right)

The Royal Shakespeare Company said Barrit was renowned for his memorable and often hilarious performances, including his "near-definitive" Bottom, while the National Theatre called him "expertly funny".

"Des brought his sublime talent and massive heart to everything from Shakespeare to Sondheim, new plays to raucous pantomime," said its deputy artistic director, Robert Hastie.

He played numerous roles on screen, including opposite Patrick Stewart in a TV adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and in It's A Sin on Channel 4 in 2021.

Paying tribute on social media, its writer Russell T Davies said Barrit was "a joyous, generous giant of a man", who "did it all" - including the wizard in Wicked at the West End.

"He guested for us in It's A Sin - a favour, really... and played it with relish!

"A giant, a lion and a joy, he'll be much missed."

Sheringham Little Theatre said Barrit died unexpectedly at home in Islington, north London, on 21 March and was survived by his partner, Byron.

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