Entertaining Mr Sloane

Entertaining Mr Sloane, Cambridge Arts Theatre, 2000

Cast: Alison Steadman, Clive Francis, Bryan Pringle, Andrew Howard

Writer: Joe Orton

Director: Terry Johnson

You'd think I'd remember seeing Alison Steadman in this but I don't. I think it might be time to retire Orton's work for a while and let future generations discover him for themselves or not as the case maybe. Perhaps he'll just become a footnote in the history of gay writing, in the same way that Terrence Rattigan has maybe, and his death will be the most interesting thing about him. I think times have changed so much that the work can only now look very old-fashioned, and I'm not sure his life now makes much sense either. I guess when you're very much the hot thing of a time it's tricky to maintain any universality that the future can identify with, although I guess that's not the point of being a hot thing.