Synopsis

London, 1965. A private psychiatric clinic becomes a whirlwind of chaos as Dr Prentice’s ill-fated attempt to seduce his secretary applicant spirals into farce

Dr Prentice’s salacious intentions set off a chain reaction of increasingly absurd events. As his wife Mrs Prentice, government inspector Dr Rance, policeman Sergeant Match, and hotel page Nicholas Beckett become embroiled in the mayhem, the clinic descends into a dizzying maelstrom of cross-dressing, mistaken identities, and sexual indiscretions. Each character’s frantic attempts to conceal their own misdeeds only deepen the confusion, creating a perfect storm of misunderstandings and accusations that challenge the very notion of sanity.

Orton’s razor-sharp wit and irreverent humour shine through in this biting satire of authority, psychiatry, and sexual mores. The playwright gleefully skewers societal hypocrisy, challenging the rigid norms of 1960s Britain with his trademark blend of shock tactics and linguistic dexterity. Through the increasingly desperate attempts of the characters to maintain a façade of respectability, Orton exposes the absurdity of social conventions and the fragility of established power structures. As the lines between sanity and madness blur, the audience is left to question: In a world where appearance is everything and truth is malleable, can anyone truly claim to be sane?