Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Young Vic
Even 60 years after Joe Orton’s debut play premiered, Entertaining Mr Sloane succeeds in shocking audiences with its uncomfortable depictions of repressed sexuality, brutal bullying and violence on stage. In this revival by Nadia Fall – now Young Vic Artistic Director – a powerful cast masterfully juggles the careful balance between humour and discomfort.
From the first lines of dialogue, the audience gets a sense of uncanny foreboding as desperately lonely Kath (Tamzin Outhwaite) takes on mysterious orphan Mr Sloane (Jordan Stephens) as a new lodger and promptly attempts to seduce him. However, soon her brother Ed (Daniel Cerqueira), who has found some unexplained success in life, also falls for Mr Sloane’s charms while their father Kemp (Christopher Fairbank) suspects Mr Sloane might be a murderer.
The writing is full of sexual innuendo and frequently keeps the onlookers on their toes with one funny – if uncomfortable – line after the other. Part of Sloane’s strength comes from the many twists and turns. We never truly know how Mr Sloane – whose sexuality remains ambiguous – feels about his hosts, while he oozes his charm to keep them on his side; meanwhile, their sometimes unhinged, obsessive behaviour is a constant source of unease.
These are tough characters to play. Cerqueira’s chain-smoking Ed is delightfully prudish and controlling while being no less possessive than his sister. Outhwaite’s Kath, meanwhile, is wonderfully unbalanced. Kath leans more and more into her lack of stability until her plight becomes almost heartwrenching in the final act. Stephens – making his stage debut – is an outstandingly psychopathic Mr Sloane: we watch him manipulate all characters easily from the get-go until he finds himself entangled in his own web of lies.
Fall’s production displays a competent grasp of black comedy with a claustrophobic set by Peter McKintosh, presenting a range of tacky items – such as lamps with cherub ornaments and a shepherdess figurine among old-fashioned furniture. Meanwhile, various antiques hang from the ceiling, such as a spinning wheel, an accordion and a bicycle, evoking a junk yard that the family lives next to. Tingying Dong’s atmospheric sound design amplifies the sense of claustrophobia, as does Richard Howell’s lighting.
There’s much to like in Entertaining Mr Sloane – its exploration of the power of sexuality and violence remains as blatantly urgent now as it was in 1964, earning this production an easy recommendation.
Michael Higgs
Photos: Ellie Kurttz
Entertaining Mr Sloane is at the Young Vic from 15th September until 8th November 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
Watch the trailer for Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Young Vic here:
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