Joe Orton’s black comedies may not appear as scandalous as they did in the mid-sixties, but they remain scabrous and farcical as they pick apart the pretensions and motivations of his characters.

Mike and Joyce lead a life together which seems respectable on the surface, though all is not what it seems. Mike (Trevor Lord) has no steady job, just irregular contracts with his van, which is currently off the road. Could that have anything to do with a recent hit and run? Joyce (Lois Williams) has her own mysterious history; she has given up her profession for Mike, but used to go by different names.

Lord is superb as Mike. His precise movements in combing his hair, preening his magnificent moustache, and hanging his jacket so carefully, speak powerfully of a desperation for respectability. His attitudes are reactionary and sexist, but he is the perfect hypocrite, and absolutely believes whatever he says no matter how contradictory.

Into the mix comes the ruffian Wilson, feigning interest in getting a room to live in. Careful to come when Mike is out, he seems to know more about them than he should. Ollie Hiemann as Wilson is all insinuating cockiness and over a couple of days torments Joyce to distraction, but when he meets Mike he’s initially full of charm. The repressed tensions behind Mike and Joyce’s life are exposed and exploited by Wilson… but what does he really want from them?

Orton couldn’t write openly about sexuality, so it is hidden in plain sight in hints and references. Those references are nicely augmented in the production by the suggestive way Mike and Wilson move in relation to each other, and the lingering hand on a knee. The Ruffian on the Stair is also packed with comic lines and the cast are particularly adept at making the most of the humour, delivering plenty of laughs as the play descends into absurdity.

As you descend to the performance space in the salubrious setting of the Royal Scots Club, you may feel like the ruffian on the stair yourself. But this is an excellent opportunity to catch a smart and witty production of a classic British play.