What The Butler Saw

Joe Orton’s writing never fails to make me laugh but this is him at his very best. Parodying the farces so popular in the late fifties and early sixties he turns their lightweight nature completely on its head to deliver a searing attack on almost anything you should care to name. Of course it needs to be delivered with style and confidence and this is exactly what we got at Emporium. Director Patrick Kearn has honed the cast to razor sharp excellence. Brian Capron is wonderfully believable as Dr Prentice the predatory psychiatrist as his attempt to seduce a prospective secretary goes so terribly wrong. Michael Kirk is delightfully, and believably insane as the Government inspector Dr Rance, obsessed with turning his review of the clinic into a groundbreaking book. Jenny Funnell is superb as Mrs Prentice, playing it so straight that her wild behavior appears normal – well almost.
Melissa Clements as Geraldine,  Duncan Drury as Nicholas Beckett and Michael Adams as Sergeant Match add to the mayhem with style and excellent timing.
I could have sat through the whole thing again immediately after. Full marks to the Talking Scarlet company and to Emporium for presenting a class act.
Emporium
9 May
Andrew Kay
5 stars