An hilarious production featuring a brilliant cast, it's a comedy that doesn’t disappoint"★★★★The Upcoming Loot follows the fortunes of two young thieves, Hal and Dennis. Together they rob the bank next to the funeral parlour where Dennis works and return to Hal's home to hide the money. Hal's mother has just died and the money is hidden in her coffin while her body keeps on appearing around the house. Upon the arrival of Inspector Truscott, the plot becomes bizarre as Hal and Dennis try to keep him off their trail, aided by Nurse McMahon and to the despair of Hal's father, Mr. McLeavy. The play satirises the rituals of bereavement, and the mismatch between nominal standards of behaviour—religious and secular—and people's actual conduct. The police, as represented by Inspector Truscott, are depicted as venal and corrupt. Ortonesque – Definition of Ortonesque in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries – English. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Lines where Hal speaks to Dennis of “denying ourselves” and “taking my breath away” and the phrase the “wreaths are blown to buggery”, a reference to the flowers at the funeral of Hal’s mother, were all cut.

Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard, thinks ‘time has been unkind to Joe Orton’s plays’ and the changing taste in theatre and comedy makes Loot seem ‘rather sad and unsavoury’. Two archive recordings of Orton are known to survive: a short BBC radio interview first transmitted in August 1967 and a video recording, held by the British Film Institute, of his appearance on Eamonn Andrews' ITV chat show transmitted 23 April 1967. [50] Legacy [ edit ]Cavendish, Dominic; "Why Joe Orton still matters: Loot, Park Theatre, review", The Daily Telegraph, 25 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018

Leonie told the Sunday Times: “This is what Joe originally wrote, but it was censored at the time. It’s a sad anniversary, yet good that what Joe actually felt and wrote is to be staged for the first time.” Strangest of all was the insistence that the body of Mrs McLeavy must not be played by an actor. Instead, a mannequin had to be wrapped up and hidden behind a screen even though part of the humour of the play relied on the body being visible on stage.

Joe Orton's Loot: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (exhibition)

In 1966, Orton began again to write a diary (something he had started earlier in life). These later chapters, whilst being a frank and open account of his life, are also well-crafted literary works. They record, among other things the difficulties he experienced in his relationship with Halliwell, but give no clue that the nature of his death at the age of 34, could have been foreseen. The facts of the matter are that in August 1967, Halliwell killed him by repeatedly hitting him about the head with a hammer. Halliwell then took his own life with an overdose and 2 lives and a promising career were brought to an untimely end. Joe Orton's Loot: A 50th Anniversary Celebration Sunday 25 September 2016 New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester The stand-out performances include Sinead Matthews as seven-times married nurse Fay, Christopher Fulford as the menacing inspector Truscott and Anah Ruddin who gamely spends the entire show playing a corpse.

Ruskino, Susan, 1995. Joe Orton. Twayne's English Authors series. Boston: Twayne. ISBN 0-8057-7034-8. Norman, Neil; "Loot review: A masterclass in physical comedy and timing", Sunday Express, 1 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018 Find sources: "Joe Orton"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( July 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) At the suggestion of Halliwell's family, Peggy Ramsay asked Orton's brother Douglas if Orton and Halliwell's ashes could be mixed. Douglas agreed, "As long as nobody hears about it in Leicester." [39] The mixed ashes were scattered [40] in section 3-C of the Garden of Remembrance at Golders Green. There is no memorial. [41] Biography and film, radio, TV [ edit ] The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're

Thu 28 Sep 2017 - Sat 21 Oct 2017

Loot is a two-act play by the English playwright Joe Orton. The play is a dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force. [1] The Eamonn Andrews Show[23/04/67] (1967)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017 . Retrieved 20 July 2019.

Barnes, Liam (9 August 2017). "The subversive genius of Joe Orton". BBC News . Retrieved 20 July 2019.Coppa, Francesca (ed.), 2002. Joe Orton: A Casebook. Casebooks on Modern Dramatists series. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-8153-3627-6 The farce will finally be performed in full at the Park theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, next week after the playwright’s sister Leonie, who administers his literary estate, agreed the original script could be used. To mark the 50th anniversary of the London premiere of the Leicester-born playwright's ground-breaking play Loot, there was a small display of material from the Orton Archiveat the University of Leicester. Having seen the Havant Bench Theatre's production of Loot, I am left wondering if your critic (The News, Friday July 6) really did see the same play. If Saturday's performance is an example of the group's activities, then the criticisms were unjustified. The play was very well performed with a good set when one considered the small stage area. I am a staunch believer in supporting out local amateur drama group which puts on very good plays throughout the year and unworthy criticism in this case was uncalled for. Surely we should be encouraging groups such as Bench Theatre, not disillusioning them or their supporters who get a very good evening's entertainment at very little cost. Kenneth Cranham and Leonie Orton Barnett unveiled an interactive exhibit celebrating the work of Joe Orton specially commissioned by the University Library. The exhibit featured a commemorative pot created by ceramicist Rachel Barnett, Orton’s niece, to mark the 50th anniversary of his earlier work, Entertaining Mr Sloane. It showcased material from the Joe Orton Archive held by the University Library’s Archives and Special Collections, and was curated by Natasha Barrett and Ceciel Brouwer from the School of Museum Studies.