Kath meets the attractive Sloane in a library and offers him lodgings in the house where she lives with her elderly father, the Dada. When Sloane arrives he is introduced to the Dada and to Kath's brother Ed. As the hilarious story unfolds, the characters reveal their feelings toward each other in most amusing and sinister ways.
This black comedy of manners, written by "the Oscar Wilde of Welfare State gentility", was described by Sir Terrence Rattigan in 1964 as the best first play in thirty-odd years. Since then it has delighted theatre, TV and cinema audiences the world over. Laugh in the New Year, here with Mr. Sloane..
From The Kentish Times
Joe Orton's 1964 play Entertaining Mr Sloane is a perfect example of outrageous black comedy, writes Mark Campbell. At times, you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Last week, Crayford's Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre presented an extremely accomplished production that displayed this dichotomy to fine effect.
The action opens with the infantile, middle-aged Kath (Claire Kingshott) showing an enigmatic stranger called Mr Sloane (Andy Briggs) around her home. She wants him to be her lodger - although her liking for him clearly goes deeper than her professed 'maternal' instincts. Kath's elderly father, Kemp (David Adams), is immediately suspicious of the young lodger, suspecting him of murdering his old boss. Conversely, Kath's brother Ed (David Roberts), a shady entrepreneur with militaristic leanings, finds himself smitten by the man's alluring charm.
This uneasy ménage a trois - with Sloane juggling the affections of Kath and her brother - comes to a head when he unleashes his pent-up anger on Kemp. From thereon in, the play navigates darker territory and throws up a delightfully unexpected twist. Director John Masson brought us a slick, likeable presentation of this classic play. It was clear that the cast and crew had worked hard to maximise the humour in Orton's script.
Andy Briggs as Sloane displayed a strong stage presence throughout, looking every inch the part in his tight leather trousers and jaunty chauffeur's cap. The scene where he admits to the murder of Kemp's boss was rivetting - climaxing with a truly shocking act of violence. Slouching legs akimbo in skirts that only just covered her modesty, Claire Kingshott brought a gauche charm to the role of sexually frustrated landlady Kath. She featured in many of the show's funniest moments, although there was always a whiff of sadness beneath the comic overtures. As the old man, David Adams never really got beyond caricature. But David Roberts as the chain-smoking self-made businessman Ed, was perfect. His ramrod posture and clipped prose made his character's barely repressed homosexuality all the more telling.
Graeme Horner's striking set design, complete with a cyclorama that subtly changed colour to complement the action on stage, was an added bonus.