Loot (Modern Classics)

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A phenomenal piece of theatre directed with flair & understanding of the material by Michael Fentiman. Loot is a superb farce where timing is crucial and this cast pulls it off - a magical theatrical experience."★★★★★ Boyz Brennen, Clare; "Loot review – the farce is strong with this one", The Guardian, 3 September 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2018 Likewise, characters like Fay give long speeches about what is right, while acting only out of self-interest. As the play unfolds, the "moral" characters (everyone but Dennis and Hal) each reveal that their high words don't add up to ethical actions. When Fay discovers the money, about midway through the play, she immediately demands some of it or threatens to turn Hal in to the inspector. Hal and Dennis’s hints at homosexuality immediately fell victim to the censor’s blue pencil because it was still illegal at the time.

Albert Finney directed a production at the Royal Court Theatre as part of its Joe Orton Festival. [3] This production opened on 3 June 1975. [3] Arthur O'Sullivan played McLeavy, Jill Bennett played Fay, David Troughton played Hal, James Aubrey played Dennis, Philip Stone played Truscott, and Michael O'Hagan played Meadows. [3] It was designed by Douglas Heap, with costumes by Harriet Geddes. [3] Loot is a two-act play by British writer and playwright Joe Orton. The play features a surreal narrative style that is meant to criticize the middle-class British society of the time (mid-20th century). The thesis of the play is the hypocrisy of society and their institutions and how the masses are duped by these institutions that they blindly follow. Orton and his lover were arrested for defacing books at a library. They modified selected contents of books to depict erotic acts—mostly from a homosexual perspective.

The play had its first Broadway production in New York at the Biltmore Theatre. [4] It opened on 18 March 1968. [4] Kenneth Cranham played Hal (as he had in the 1966 London production), James Hunter played Dennis, Liam Redmond played McLeavy, Carole Shelley played Fay, George Rose played Truscott, and Norman Barrs played Meadows. [4] It was directed by Derek Goldby and designed by William Ritmann. [4] The play was profiled in the William Goldman book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway. After a number of unsuccessful minor works, Entertaining Mr Sloane was Orton's first major script but the play received mixed response when it opened in 1963. In later venues however, it was voted Best New British Play by Variety's London Critics, moved to Broadway and Orton had his first taste of major success. Norman, Neil; "Loot review: A masterclass in physical comedy and timing", Sunday Express, 1 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018

Bigsby, C. W. E., 1982. Joe Orton. Contemporary Writers series. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-416-31690-5 Definitive weapons-grade offensive Orton. Would Joe be proud with this production? Undoubtedly" ★★★★ QX Magazine Urwin, Rosamund. "Statue of Joe Orton axed over Leicester playwright's relationships with teenage boys". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460 . Retrieved 29 August 2022. There were laughs, gasps and plenty of red-faced applause. Joe Orton would have been proud" ★★★★ The Morning StarIn Joe Orton’s dark farce Loot, I’m playing a corpse. Mrs McLeavy is her name, and she’s at the centre of a bank robbery involving her son, a fellow thief, her husband and a nurse. When the play was first performed, the lord chamberlain insisted that a mannequin be used as the corpse, rather than casting an actor. We’re presenting the play as Orton intended, with other cuts also reinstated.