Joe Orton was one of the most blistering playwrights of contemporary English drama. His shining star burned brightly in the mid-sixties producing four first-rate farces before being bludgeoned to death by his homosexual lover. The beauty of his achievement is that he took the reigns from Oscar Wilde as a farceur par excellence and applied his pitch black sensibility to them. His plays won a host of English theatrical awards and due to his untimely and gruesome death he has achieved a cult status among theater-goers.

Thus, any revival of his work is usually waited with anticipation. Entertaining Mr. Sloane written in 1964 was his first triumph. The plot involves a brother, Ed and sister, Kath who both have sexual designs on a handsome new border (Mr. Sloane) in Kath's house. Also living in the house is the sibling's father, Kemp who is somewhat enfeebled. A sexual confrontation develops between Ed and Kath over Sloane's affections who naturally, manipulates each of them against the other. Kemp seems to have knowledge of Sloane's seedy behavior outside of the household yet is fearful to expose the dangerous thug. Mr. Orton keeps the sexual tension of the play heightened through his use of violent farcical events and that scalding, hilarious dialogue.

Or that is how it should be. Unfortunately, Scott Ellis' production comes off more like Orton-lite. While the mechanics are in place, the necessary element of danger, of all-threatening lunacy is missing. Mr. Ellis seems unable or unwilling to push the envelope to its essential edge. Most of this is due to misconceptions by the actors (or just miscasting). The usually excellent Jan Maxwell plays Kath as slightly retarded rather than pathologically lonely. Alec Baldwin while always charismatic does not delve deep enough into Ed to expose his sado-masochistic urges. Chris Carmack has the body but not the menace for Sloane. Richard Easton has got Kemp down but because we have seen him do this sort of role before it becomes merely competent not involving. There never seems to be an urgency to get at the underlying pain and sadness of this household. Without that, Mr. Orton's characters come off as brittle and unpleasant something he never intended. Despite all the quality talent on display, this Sloane rarely entertains.

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