Theatre review: Entertaining Mr Sloane

Everyman, Cork

Joe Orton’s 1960s domestic farce, Entertaining Mr Sloane, was considered risqué when it was first staged, with its homo-eroticism and the insatiable sexual appetite of the sole female character, Kath. To a contemporary audience, it’s not shocking but a source of mirth, with its depiction of the hypocrisies of lower middle-class English life and the sexual shenanigans of Mr Sloane and Kath. Kath’s brother, Ed, is a repressed homosexual who fancies Mr Sloane.

The good-looking, blond 20-year-old of the play’s title is referred to as ‘Mr Sloane’ even by his lover, Kath, who is twice his age and his landlady. Her formality is curious, given her relationship with the dodgy lodger. Having lost a child earlier in life, Kath refers to Mr Sloane as her ‘baby’. It’s a twisted relationship, unwillingly entered into by Mr Sloane, who refuses to take responsibility for anything, referring to himself as impressionable, easily-led and an orphan.

Paul Sandys, as Mr Sloane, plays an amoral geezer who is watchful, wary and sly. The wonder is that he can fool two people into being fascinated by him. He is not portrayed as interesting. But he has a dark past, which is twigged by Ed and Kath’s father, who recognises him as the murderer of his former employer. This is the crux of this stretched-out drama and it sparks another crime.

Pauline Whitaker, as Kath, trots out her lines, unconvincingly in the early part of the play, but she later reveals a pathetic but resilient side to her nature. The best performance is that of Nicholas Gasson, who plays the physically ailing but morally upright father.

There is much misogyny in this play, which is produced by London Classic Theatre. Kath, with her blatant sexuality, disgusts Mr Sloane and is insulted by her sexist brother, who distrusts women.

The action takes place in a house close to a dump. The chaotic set is full of discarded furniture and junk, the detritus of domestic despair.