Difference between revisions of "Entertaining Mr Sloane (2011)"

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[[Image:CHANGETHISNAME.jpg|thumb|300px|Poster by [[Poster Designer]]]]
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[[Image:sloane.jpg|thumb|300px|Poster by [[Stevie Hughes]]]]
  
 
by [[Joe Orton]]
 
by [[Joe Orton]]
  
Directed & Designed by
+
Directed by [[Stevie Hughes]]
  
Performances: , [[Bell Theatre|Theatre]]
+
Performances: 1st - 5th February [[2011]], [[Bell Theatre]]
  
  
 
== Introduction ==
 
== Introduction ==
  
Six months elapse between Act I and Act II
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"Terence Rattigan (no friend of the ‘new wave’ theatre of the 50s and 60s) called <em>Entertaining Mr Sloane</em> "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 <em>Loot</em> and <em>What the Butler Saw,</em> 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." - <em><b>Stevie</b></em>
  
 
==Plot summary==
 
==Plot summary==
Mr Sloane, a young, beautiful and [[Amoralism|amoral]] con man, happens by 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, referred to as Dadda or 'the Dadda,' soon recognizes the young man as the murderer of Kemp's boss, 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, declaring "I'll be your mamma", as she rolls on top of him and the lights go out.
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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 blithely 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.
 
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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:
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: SLOANE: I'll be grateful.
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: ED: Will you?
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: SLOANE: Eternally.
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: ED: Not eternally, boy. Just a few years.
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: ''He pats SLOANE on the shoulder.''
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Eventually Kath and Ed reach a compromise, agreeing to cover up Kemp's murder and to share Sloane between them, with each "entertaining Mr. Sloane" for six months at a time.
+
  
 
== 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.
 
 
  
 
*Kath - [[Lorraine Spenceley]]
 
*Kath - [[Lorraine Spenceley]]
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*Stage Manager - [[Kay George]]
 
*Stage Manager - [[Kay George]]
*ASMs - [[Clodagh Reynolds]], [[Jenny Clements]], [[Joanna Hopkins]]
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*ASMs - [[Clodagh Reynolds]], [[Alice Harvey Lowe]]
*Lighting Design - [[Peter Stevens]]
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*Sound Design - [[Stevie Hughes]]
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*Light & Sound Op - [[Rebecca Williams]]
 
*Light & Sound Op - [[Rebecca Williams]]
*Props - [[Kay George]]
 
*Set Design - [[Graham Clements]]
 
*Publicity Design - [[Stevie Hughes]]
 
 
*BSL Interpreter - [[Paul Michaels]]
 
*BSL Interpreter - [[Paul Michaels]]
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 +
== Design ==
 +
 +
*Director's Assistant - [[Rebecca Williams]]
 +
*Sound - [[Stevie Hughes]]
 +
*Lighting - [[Mark Davies]]
 +
*Software Consultant - [[Gavin Parker]]
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*Props - [[Kay George]], [[Clodagh Reynolds]], [[Alan Buckman]], [[Stevie Hughes]]
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*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]]
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*Wardrobe - [[Lisa Thomas]]
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*Publicity - [[Stevie Hughes]]
 +
*Photography - [[Mark Davies]]
 +
*Transport - [[Hazel Hindle]]
 
*Theatre Rep - [[Lisa Thomas]]
 
*Theatre Rep - [[Lisa Thomas]]
 +
 +
== Special Thanks ==
 +
*A HUGE, HUGE thank you to [[Chris Briggs]] and all the folks at Emmaus for the loan of the settee and furniture.
 +
*To [[Mark Davies]], [[Gavin Parker]] and [[Lisa Thomas]] for stepping in at such short notice;
 +
*'Radio Days' of Lower Marsh, Waterloo for the hire of Ed's suit;
 +
*To the Front-Of-House, Membership and Bar staff…
 +
*… and to all those wonderful people at SLT who keep this miracle of a cultural oasis alive!
  
 
== Reviews ==
 
== Reviews ==
 +
[http://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/reviews/review.php?reviewsID=121 '''‘SARDINES’''' Magazine | ''Paul Campion'' ]
  
== Gallery ==
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[http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=&refresh=X0y71s6H20Mn&EID=642d63ee-03f7-4a8d-93fc-6e5491d0ce73&skip=true '''‘BROMLEY TIMES’''' (p.21) | 10 Feb 2011 | ''Mark Campbell'' ]
 
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== Gallery ==
 +
<gallery caption= "Photos  by[[Mark Davies]]" widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="4">
 +
Image:Kath_sloane2.jpg|<p><em>[[Ted Riley]] ('Sloane') & [[Lorraine Spenceley]] ('Kath')</em></p>
 +
Image:dadda_toasts.jpg|<p><em>[[Pat Brown]] ('Dadda')</em></p>
 +
Image:sloane_twists_daddas_ear.jpg|<p><em>[[Ted Riley]] ('Sloane') & [[Pat Brown]] ('Dadda')</em></p>
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Image:eddie.jpg|<p><em>[[Tim Witcomb]] ('Ed')</em></p>
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Image:kath_w_teeth.jpg|<p><em>[[Lorraine Spenceley]] ('Kath')</em></p>
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</gallery>
  
 
== Reminiscences and Anecdotes ==
 
== Reminiscences and Anecdotes ==
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== External Links ==
 
== External Links ==
  
*'''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertaining_Mr_Sloane This play on the web]
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*'''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertaining_Mr_Sloane This play on the wikipedia] (SPOILER)
  
 
[[Category:Productions]]
 
[[Category:Productions]]
 
[[Category:Bell Theatre Productions]]
 
[[Category:Bell Theatre Productions]]
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[[Category:Sign language interpreted]]

Latest revision as of 13:08, 14 January 2021

Poster by Stevie Hughes

by Joe Orton

Directed by Stevie Hughes

Performances: 1st - 5th February 2011, Bell Theatre


Introduction

"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." - Stevie

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 blithely 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.

Cast

Crew

Design

Special Thanks

  • A HUGE, HUGE thank you to Chris Briggs and all the folks at Emmaus for the loan of the settee and furniture.
  • To Mark Davies, Gavin Parker and Lisa Thomas for stepping in at such short notice;
  • 'Radio Days' of Lower Marsh, Waterloo for the hire of Ed's suit;
  • To the Front-Of-House, Membership and Bar staff…
  • … and to all those wonderful people at SLT who keep this miracle of a cultural oasis alive!

Reviews

‘SARDINES’ Magazine | Paul Campion

‘BROMLEY TIMES’ (p.21) | 10 Feb 2011 | Mark Campbell

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

<references/>

External Links