Orton’s work is still pricking up our ears

Often regarded as a frivolous writer of entertainment, the British playwright Joe Orton had a seriousness and a depth that can sometimes be undervalued, says Michael Cabot of London Classic Theatre.

Cabot is directing Orton’s first play, Entertaining Mr Sloane, at Cork’s Everyman Theatre this week. It’s the 50th anniversary of a work which caused quite a stir when it was first presented at the New Arts Theatre in London in 1964.