Entertaining Mr Sloane

This article is about the play. For the film adaptation, see Entertaining Mr Sloane.

Entertaining Mr Sloane
Methuen Drama edition cover, 2001
Written by	Joe Orton
Characters	Sloane, a young, good-looking psychopath Kath, a middle-aged landlady Ed, Kath's brother Kemp, Kath and Ed's father
Date premiered	6 May 1964
Place premiered	New Arts Theatre London, England
Subject	A landlady and her brother entice a psychopathic young man into sexual liaisons
Genre	Black comedy
Setting	A house on the edge of a rubbish dump
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Entertaining Mr Sloane is a play by the English playwright Joe Orton.^[1] It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964.^[2]

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Productions 3 Film adaptations 4 Awards 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links

Plot summary

Mr Sloane, a young, beautiful and amoral psychopath, looks round the home of Kath, a middle-aged landlady, who, clearly attracted to him, persuades him to become her lodger. Left alone with Sloane to entertain him, Kath's father Kemp soon recognizes the young man as the murderer of Kemp's boss years before, who is still wanted by the police. Sloane engages in a cat-and-mouse game with Kemp over his identity. The situation becomes even more complex when Kath's over-bearing brother Ed appears. Kemp has refused to speak to Ed ever since he discovered him "committing some kind of felony in the bedroom" as a teenager. Kath assumes that Ed will not be pleased about Sloane staying, for fear of her forming a relationship with him, but it is clear from the beginning that Ed is also attracted to Sloane. Ed soon employs Sloane as his driver. Alone with Sloane at the climax of act one, Kath throws herself at him--"I'll be your mamma", she declares as she rolls on top of him and the lights go out.

At the climax of act two, Sloane kicks Kemp to death when he threatens to reveal his identity to the police. Ed is shocked when Sloane tries to persuade him to cover up the murder--"You murder my father. Now you ask me to help you evade Justice. Is that where my liberal principles have brought me?" he asks. Sensing an opportunity, however, Ed tries to persuade Kath to collude in the deception, but when it becomes clear that this involves Sloane leaving to live with Ed, she refuses. Kath begs Sloane to stay, threatening him with the revelation that Kemp informed her of Sloane's previous crime, with which information she would go to the police. Sloane is caught between the conflicting and intractable desires of the brother and sister; "It's what is called a dilemma, boy", Ed explains, "you are on the horns of it." Sloane begs Ed to help resolve the situation:

SLOANE: I'll be grateful.

ED: Will you?

SLOANE: Eternally.

ED: Not eternally, boy. Just a few years.

He pats SLOANE on the shoulder.

Eventually Kath and Ed reach a compromise, agreeing to cover up Kemp's murder and to share Sloane between them, with each "entertaining" him for six months at a time.

Productions

Directed by Patrick Dromgoole, the play premiered in the West End in 1964 with Madge Ryan as Kath, Dudley Sutton as Sloane, Charles Lamb as Kemp, and Peter Vaughan as Ed. It was designed by Timothy O'Brien, and costumes were supervised by Tazeena Firth.

The Broadway production, directed by Alan Schneider, opened at the Lyceum Theatre on 12 October 1965 and closed after 13 performances. It starred Sheila Hancock as Kath, Dudley Sutton, as Sloane, Lee Montague as Ed, and George Turner as Kemp. Sets and costumes were designed by William Ritman.

The play was revived as part of the Joe Orton Festival at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Directed by Roger Croucher, it opened on 17 April 1975 and subsequently transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre. It starred Beryl Reid as Kath, Malcolm McDowell as Sloane, James Ottaway as Kemp, and Ronald Fraser as Ed. Sets were designed by John Gunter and costumes were supervised by Deirdre Clancy.

The Roundabout Theatre Company revived the play in 2005 under the direction of Scott Ellis. It starred Alec Baldwin as Ed, Chris Carmack as Sloane, Jan Maxwell as Kath, and Richard Easton as Kemp. The design team included Allen Moyer (sets), Michael Krass (costumes), Ken Posner (lights), and John Gromada (original music and sound).

In 2007, the Melbourne Theatre Company staged a production at the Fairfax Theatre in the Melbourne Arts Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Directed by Simon Phillips, it starred Richard Piper as Ed, Ben Guerens as Sloane, Amanda Muggleton as Kath, and Bob Hornery as Kemp. It was designed by Shaun Gorton, with music by David Chesworth.

Film adaptations

The play was adapted by Clive Exton for a 1970 film directed by Douglas Hickox. It starred Beryl Reid, Peter McEnery, Harry Andrews, and Alan Webb.

Awards

• 1982 Drama Desk Award for Best Revival of a Play
• 1996 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival

References

Sources

External links

• Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Internet Broadway Database
• Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Internet off-Broadway Database
• South Coast Repertory articles about the play

v • d • e Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play The Royal Family (1976) · Entertaining Mr Sloane (1982) · Death of a Salesman (1984) · Joe Egg (1985) · The House of Blue Leaves (1986) · Our Town (1989) · Anna Christie (1993) · An Inspector Calls (1994) · The Heiress (1995) · A Delicate Balance (1996) · A Doll's House (1997) · A View from the Bridge (1998) · Death of a Salesman / The Iceman Cometh (1999) · The Real Thing (2000) · The Best Man (2001) · Private Lives (2002) · Long Day's Journey into Night (2003) · Henry IV (2004) · Twelve Angry Men (2005) · Awake and Sing! (2006) · Journey's End (2007) · Boeing-Boeing (2008)

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