Ok so tonight I went to see some London theatre courtesy of A Night Less Ordinary the government scheme to get people under 26 into theatres for free.
In the end it was £10 to see Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane – long story but still pretty cheap considering it was at The Trafalgar Studios on the fourth row…
Having seen What the Butler Saw while at uni, I was excited to see another Orton play with the wonderful Imelda Staunton and the oh-so fashionable Matthew Horne aka Gavin from BBC Three’s Gavin and Stacey.
Well I wish I could say the absurd comedy of Orton tickled me pink, but it just didn’t. Staunton rose beautifully to the challenge of her character, Kath, a strange and lonely 40 year old woman - who takes in Mr Sloane (Horne) as a lodger. She quickly becomes his mother and lover all rolled into one but finds competition for his affections in the shape of her closet homosexual brother.
Then there is Dadda… the old doddering father who still lives with Staunton and jibber jabbers about. But that’s it. The play has a weak plot and to be honest I found it all one level. Most of the lines were shouted and the messages lost all meaning – not that I am sure there was all that much to learn.
Alas after last week’s triumph – Miller’s A View From the Bridge – which I really should have blogged about (but instead tweeted – apologies), tonight was a little too ordinary for my liking.
In the end it was £10 to see Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane – long story but still pretty cheap considering it was at The Trafalgar Studios on the fourth row…
Having seen What the Butler Saw while at uni, I was excited to see another Orton play with the wonderful Imelda Staunton and the oh-so fashionable Matthew Horne aka Gavin from BBC Three’s Gavin and Stacey.
Well I wish I could say the absurd comedy of Orton tickled me pink, but it just didn’t. Staunton rose beautifully to the challenge of her character, Kath, a strange and lonely 40 year old woman - who takes in Mr Sloane (Horne) as a lodger. She quickly becomes his mother and lover all rolled into one but finds competition for his affections in the shape of her closet homosexual brother.
Then there is Dadda… the old doddering father who still lives with Staunton and jibber jabbers about. But that’s it. The play has a weak plot and to be honest I found it all one level. Most of the lines were shouted and the messages lost all meaning – not that I am sure there was all that much to learn.
Alas after last week’s triumph – Miller’s A View From the Bridge – which I really should have blogged about (but instead tweeted – apologies), tonight was a little too ordinary for my liking.
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