Within his private psychiatric clinic, Doctor Prentice is interviewing a new secretary. Geraldine wants the position but seems underqualified and uncertain about her parentage. Mrs Prentice appears, flushed and in urgent need of a drink, following an illicit encounter at the Station Hotel. In the meantime, Doctor Rance, a Government Inspector and Sergeant Match, a policeman, arrive amidst increasing chaos with searching questions of their own.
What the Butler Saw is Joe Orton’s most ambitious play, manic farce and masterclass in fearless comic writing. No institution, political view or tradition is safe, as Orton explores comic territory few playwrights have dared to visit.
Joe Orton was born in Leicester in 1933. During a short, dazzling career, he shocked, outraged, and delighted audiences with his riotous black comedies, including Loot and Entertaining Mr Sloane.
Running Time
Approx. 2 hours including an interval
General Guidance
Contains strong language and adults themes. Contains subject matter, including rape, child abuse and racism, which the playwright very much hoped audiences would find offensive.
Age Guidance
14+
Tickets
Wednesday - Saturday, 7.30pm
and Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm:
£20/£25/£30/£35*
*All ticket prices include a £3 per ticket booking fee.
Alex Cardall (Nicholas Beckett)
Training: Arts Educational Schools & National Youth Music Theatre.
Theatre includes: The Box of Delights (RSC), Winnie The Pooh: A New Musical Stage Adaptation (Riverside Studios & UK Tour), Come Dine With Me: The Musical (Turbine Theatre), The Osmonds: A New Musical (UK Tour), Rapunzel (Chipping Norton Theatre), The Wind in the Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), HouseFire (Turbine Theatre & Jermyn Street Theatre), The Season (Royal & Derngate, Northampton, New Wolsey, Ipswich & The Other Palace, London), Evita (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Putting It Together (Hope Mill Theatre), Sweet Charity (Watermill Theatre), Olivier Awards and Disney Hits - Friday Night Is Music Night (Royal Albert Hall), Jule, Jerry and Steve (Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford), Brass (Leeds City Varieties).
John Dorney (Doctor Prentice)
Training: LAMDA.
For LCT: Bernard in Boeing Boeing, Geoffrey Jackson in Absurd Person Singular, Salvador Dalí in Hysteria, John in Absent Friends, Mick in The Caretaker, Felix Humble in Humble Boy.
Theatre includes: Flight and Peter Pan (National Theatre), Something Beginning With... (The Orange Tree), Feelgood (English Speaking Theatre of Vienna & English Speaking Theatre of Frankfurt), Better Watch Out (Hampstead Theatre), At the Back and Out of Focus (Soho Theatre), Volpone (Wilton’s Music Hall), The Revenger’s Tragedy, The Stranger (Southwark Playhouse), A-Team: The Musical (Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh), Coalition (Pleasance Edinburgh & Islington), Beauty and the Beast (Creation, Oxford), On the High Road (RADA Studios), Seasons Greetings (Union Theatre).
Radio includes: Richard in two series of the sitcom My First Planet (Pozzitive for Radio 4), the lead role of Adam Dean in three series of the audio revival of The Omega Factor (Big Finish).
Winner of a BBC Audio Drama award.
Alana Jackson (Geraldine Barclay)
Training: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Theatre includes: Medea (National Theatre of Scotland/Edinburgh International Festival), Interiors (Barbican Theatre), Living Newspaper (Royal Court Theatre), Metamorphosis (Tron Theatre, Dundee Rep, Eden Court & Traverse Theatre), Mary & Ada Set the World to Rights (Oran Mor).
Television Credits include: Scot Squad (BBC Comedy Unit).
Jack Lord (Doctor Rance)
Training: Arden School of Theatre, Manchester.
Theatre includes: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Romeo & Juliet (Leeds Playhouse), The Book Thief (Leicester Curve/Bolton Octagon/Coventry Belgrade), The Glee Club (Theatre by the Lake), Treasure Island (Bolton Octagon), Clybourne Park, Democracy (Rapture Theatre), West Side Story (Royal Exchange, Manchester), WarHorse (National Theatre/UK Tour), Kiss Me Quickstep (New Vic/Salisbury Playhouse/Oldham Coliseum), The Winter’s Tale (Northern Broadsides/National Tour), The Mist in the Mirror, Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Oldham Coliseum), Rock of Ages (ATG), The Jungle Book, Crime & Punishment (Citizens Theatre Glasgow), Cooking With Elvis (Derby Theatre), Twelfth Night (Grosvenor Open Air Theatre), Our Country’s Good (Original Theatre), Ladies’ Night (Royal Court Liverpool), Grimm Tales, The Glee Club (Library Theatre), Absurd Person Singular (Bolton Octagon), Get Carter (Red Shift), Antony & Cleopatra, Pictures of Clay, Major Barbara, Hobson’s Choice, A Moon for the Misbegotten, King Lear, Rotten Apple (Royal Exchange, Manchester).
Television & Film includes: Red Rose (BBC), Wolfe (Sky), Eternal Law (Kudos), Waterloo Road (Shed Productions), The Street 2 (ITV), Pierrepoint (Granada Films), Coronation Street (Granada), Cold Feet (ITV), Emmerdale (ITV Yorkshire), North Square (Channel 4).
Michael Hugo (Sergeant Match)
Theatre includes:, Pinocchio (Hull Truck), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, One Man, Two Guvnors, Astley's Astounding Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, The Admirable Crichton, Proof, The Rivals, Peter Pan, The Wicked Lady, The 39 Steps (New Vic Theatre), Babes in the Wood, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Oldham Coliseum).
Television includes: Coronation Street (ITV), I'm With Stupid (BBC).
Holly Smith (Mrs. Prentice)
Training: Guildford School of Acting.
Theatre credits include: The Great Gatsby (Theatre Royal Windsor), The Mirror Crack’d (No. 1 Tour), Don’t Misunderstand Me, Beauty of the Father, Boeing Boeing, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, Candida (English Theatre of Hamburg), The Odd Couple (Vienna’s English Theatre), Miss Margarida’s Way (Leicester Square Theatre, West End), National Mourning (Theatre 503), Shadowlands (No. 1 Tour), Flare Path (No. 1 Tour), The Hothouse (West End), Teechers (Harrogate Theatre, Haymarket Theatre & Globe Theatre, Warsaw), Blithe Spirit (No. 1 Tour), Out of Order (No. 1 Tour), The Barchester Chronicles (Chichester Festival Theatre), Plaza Suite (Marlborough Theatre), Annie (Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford).
Television credits include: Killing Eve 2 (Sid Gentle Films ltd) Zapped (Baby Cow Productions), Watson & Oliver (BBC), Coming of Age (BBC), The Frame (ITV).
Film credits include: Ghost Stories (Ghost Stories Ltd), Closer (Columbia Pictures), Appearances (Cavendish Fante Pictures).
