Hawtrey then became the second manager of the Dundee Repertory Theatre, succeeding Robert Thornley as Director of Productions in December 1940.
In January 1945 Hawtrey reopened the Embassy, which had been closed due to bomb damage, and under his directorship there followed a string of successful productions.
"[6] Val Gielgud, in the third Embassy Successes book, praised Hawtrey's "persistent refusal to be deterred from experiment by difficulties of staging which too frequently have proved fatal to the chances of a play's production in the West End.
"[7] According to the actor Leslie Phillips, Hawtrey "was a charming, easy-going man with a great sense of humour and a natural instinct for popular theatre.
"[8] In parallel with his work in theatre, Hawtrey also acted in television productions and several films, a few of which were He was married to the actress Marjorie Clark, with whom he had two sons, Charles and the actor Nicholas (1932–2018).