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There are not many certainties in life – except perhaps that a Rossendale Players’ production will always be exceptional in its acting, staging and directing.

And so it proved again with their opening play in a new comedy season ‘Entertaining Mr Sloane’ at the ever-welcoming New Millennium Theatre in Waterfoot.

However, that less rare beast also reared its head with this production – I’m afraid to say it’s not a play I enjoyed.

Now let me qualify that by stating this had nothing to do with the performance of its four word-perfect, stupendous cast, superby directed by Mark Storton, aided and abetted by a backstage team of set-makers and wardrobe.

Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Rossendale Players' New Millennium Theatre in Waterfoot

No, this was just my rare dislike of the choice of play. Joe Orton’s controversial 1963 ‘jet black comedy’ features a thoroughly dislikable four characters, with not a single one possessing any sympathetic traits.

Now, usually, in drama these type of incorrigible fiends will get their comeuppance. Sadly, and without giving too much of the plot away, they mostly did not.

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I would also question the choice of play to open a ‘comedy’ season. This may have been a dark comedy, but it was very short on laughs.

The cast was a familiar one – Players regulars Martyn Frost, Stephen Claxon, Kathryn Bland and Andrew Husband – all exceptional in their portrayals of four very different, yet all amoral, and inextricably linked characters.

Martyn, playing the successful, uptight, Ed is positively menacing, creepy and manipulative. His performance was so spot on it had you hating the character.

Stephen, blessed with comic talent, was also excellent as the enigmatic title character, while Kathryn played seductive sibling of Ed, Kath, with great abandon. Lastly, but not least, Andrew’s Kemp as the gentle, but man of his time father to Ed and Kath.

Perhaps I’m being harsh on this play. It was written by Orton – a gay working class outsider to the rarefied air of London’s theatre scene – as a way of poking fun at the establishment – something which should be applauded. I just wish there had been more sympathetic characters involved for this fine company to produce.

Rossendale Players' stage stupendous production of Joe Orton's controversial play 'Entertaining Mr Sloane'