Difference between revisions of "Entertaining Mr Sloane (2011)"
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==Plot summary== | ==Plot summary== | ||
| − | Mr Sloane, a | + | Middle-aged Kath has amorous designs on her new, young lodger but Ed, her domineering brother, will have none of it until he too succumbs to the charms of the mysterious Mr Sloane. As they compete for the boy’s affections, their lust soon rips open old family wounds as Sloane insouciantly plays off brother against sister. That is, until their ageing father (the "Dadda") recognises Sloane as the still-at-large perpetrator of a past, violent crime. Threatened with exposure, Sloane takes drastic measures that crank up the absurdity to hysterical levels. |
| + | |||
| + | Terence Rattigan (no friend of the ‘new wave’ theatre of the 50s and 60s) called Entertaining Mr Sloane "the best first play" he had seen "in thirty odd years" and to my mind, it’s Orton’s funniest: his targets in it are "ordinary, decent people" rather than the trusted institutions of society (which are not so trusted nowadays) and instead of the verbal machine-gun fire you get in Loot and What the Butler Saw, Orton slowly fattens and ripens his prey before surgically picking them off, like a sniper, piece by piece as the play reaches its hilarious climax. | ||
== Cast == | == Cast == | ||
four of the most grotesque characters in modern British drama: simpering, whining Kath; domineering, bigoted Ed; pretty, homicidal Sloane and sly, puritanical Kemp. | four of the most grotesque characters in modern British drama: simpering, whining Kath; domineering, bigoted Ed; pretty, homicidal Sloane and sly, puritanical Kemp. | ||
Revision as of 17:24, 3 February 2011
by Joe Orton
Directed & Designed by
Performances: , Theatre
Contents
Introduction
A few months elapse between Act I and Act II
Plot summary
Middle-aged Kath has amorous designs on her new, young lodger but Ed, her domineering brother, will have none of it until he too succumbs to the charms of the mysterious Mr Sloane. As they compete for the boy’s affections, their lust soon rips open old family wounds as Sloane insouciantly plays off brother against sister. That is, until their ageing father (the "Dadda") recognises Sloane as the still-at-large perpetrator of a past, violent crime. Threatened with exposure, Sloane takes drastic measures that crank up the absurdity to hysterical levels.
Terence Rattigan (no friend of the ‘new wave’ theatre of the 50s and 60s) called Entertaining Mr Sloane "the best first play" he had seen "in thirty odd years" and to my mind, it’s Orton’s funniest: his targets in it are "ordinary, decent people" rather than the trusted institutions of society (which are not so trusted nowadays) and instead of the verbal machine-gun fire you get in Loot and What the Butler Saw, Orton slowly fattens and ripens his prey before surgically picking them off, like a sniper, piece by piece as the play reaches its hilarious climax.
Cast
four of the most grotesque characters in modern British drama: simpering, whining Kath; domineering, bigoted Ed; pretty, homicidal Sloane and sly, puritanical Kemp.
- Kath - Lorraine Spenceley
- Sloane - Ted Riley
- Dadda (Kemp) - Pat Brown
- Ed - Tim Witcomb
Crew
- Stage Manager - Kay George
- ASMs - Clodagh Reynolds, Alice Harvey-Lowe
- Light & Sound Op - Rebecca Williams
- BSL Interpreter - Paul Michaels
Design
- Director's Assistant - Rebecca Williams
- Sound - Stevie Hughes
- Lighting - Mark Davies
- Software Consultant - Gavin Parker
- Props - Kay George, Clodagh Reynolds, Alan Buckman, Stevie Hughes
- Set - Stevie Hughes, Graham Clements
- Construction - Graham Clements, Mark Ireson, Erik Smith, Kay George, Joanna Hopkins, Clodagh Reynolds, Alice Harvey-Lowe
- Painting - Hazel Hindle, Michael Wilson
- Wardrobe - Lisa Thomas
- Publicity - Stevie Hughes
- Photography - Mark Davies
- Theatre Rep - Lisa Thomas
Reviews
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.
See Also
References
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External Links
- This play on the wikipedia (SPOILER)
