Evergreen or dated- the verdict on Joe Orton’s classic

The Young Vic

For her first production as artistic director of the Young Vic, Nadia Fall has chosen a neglected modern classic. Joe Orton’s 60-year-old Entertaining Mr Sloane is a black comedy that the critics indicate has lost little of its shock value, although some found it dated.  The mysterious, sinister young man, who arrives at a house and proceeds to ingratiate himself with the occupants is played by Jordan Stephens (from the hiphop duo Rizzle Kicks) in his first major stage role. A mature woman played by Tamsin Outhwaite and her brother  (Daniel Cerqueira) are both attracted to him, but he is viewed with suspicion by their father (Jordan Stephens).

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

David Jay for The Guardian said: ‘Jordan Stephens … gives the mysterious stranger a bold, open smile, and Tamzin Outhwaite’s Kath blinks like a moth to flame.’ He declared: ‘Six decades on, Orton’s play shows its age: drum-tight, then increasingly chasing its tail. But Fall’s opening show as artistic director of the Young Vic grins with the worst of human behaviour – and that never grows old.’

The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish was struck by the way ‘Nadia Fall’s faithful production at the Young Vic, with Tamzin Outhwaite as the kinky landlady Kath, and Jordan Stephens … as her adoptive orphan “boy”, taps into something timeless: as the action proceeds, we observe the way people driven by extreme emotional, sexual and financial need will stoop to anything.’ ‘Recommended’, he concluded.

Clive Davis of The Times complimented members of the cast, particularly Tamsin Outhwaite: ‘It’s a stunning performance. Orton’s ornate language can be every bit as sinister as Pinter’s, yet the shafts of manic humour constantly catch you off-balance. Tottering around the stage, Outhwaite is a human gargoyle who cradles a cloth like a baby and offers the newcomer a “motherly kiss” before turning into an unlikely seductress’.

Matt Wolf at LondonTheatre felt the production did the play justice: ‘Six decades on, the four-hander hasn’t lost its power to sting, at least as staged in the round on a fascinating set by Peter McKintosh that relegates the memorabilia of the characters’ lives (a crib, chairs etc.) to an aerial collage suspended above the action.’ He commented: ‘The cast across the board mines the dark humour of the piece, while hinting at a “depraved” (the script’s word) landscape beyond’.

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Theo Bosanquet for WhatsOnStage had this to say about the cast: ‘The cast combines well, including Stephens, who gives an accomplished stage acting debut. Although he could dial up the menacing aspects of the character – he never quite convinces as a man capable of killing – he has an enjoyably understated comic delivery and successfully hints at the boyish vulnerability underneath Sloane’s leather-clad exterior. Outhwaite meanwhile embodies the louche lustiness of Kath, whose air of cornered desperation is reminiscent of Mike Leigh’s Bev, and nicely contrasts with the besuited, chain-smoking Cerqueira and Steptoe-ish Fairbank. All told, it’s an enjoyable, if concurrently rather cautious, kick off for the Fall regime.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

The Stage‘s Sam Marlowe was disappointed: ‘Unfortunately, Fall’s staging is – pun fully intended – all to cock. Her production is stylistically muddled and unevenly acted, with the result that neither its shocks nor its savage comedy really register.’ The cast didn’t live up to her expectations: ‘Jordan Stephens … appears hopelessly out of his depth. An amoral chancer who deploys his sex appeal like a lethal weapon, Sloane needs a potent menace to go with his dubious charms. Instead…Stephens just looks slightly gormless.’

Katie Kirkpatrick at BroadwayWorld didn’t see the point: ‘Fall’s revival leaves it bizarrely lodged in the past: there’s nothing about this production that makes it clear why this play is worth watching in 2025, with potential themes of bisexuality and xenophobia left at the wayside. It feels as though this production could have been made any time in the past sixty years, in terms of both the play’s themes and the way it is staged.’ She conceded: ‘For all its flaws, Entertaining Mr Sloane is, well, entertaining. The tried-and-tested jokes get plenty of chuckles, it’s visually impressive, and the story’s pacing means it keeps the audience on board throughout. For those with a love of classic plays or farce, there’s plenty to enjoy.’

Andrjez Lukowski’s Time Out review appeared without stars but would likely be a 2 star review: ‘Fall’s take feels both wilfully dated – very much a ’60s period piece – and pointedly unfunny, trading the menacing comedy associated with Orton (‘dark farce’ is the usual term) for drab naturalism.’

Critics’ average rating 3.1⭑

Entertaining Mr Sloane can be seen at the Young Vic Theatre until 8 November 2025. Buy tickets direct from the theatre

If you’ve seen Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Young Vic, please leave your rating and review below