This production played at the Park Theatre and Watermill Theatre in Autumn 2017.
Tom O’Connell, James Seabright and The Watermill Theatre in association with King’s Head Theatre and Park Theatre present
By Joe Orton
Directed by Michael Fentiman
Cast includes Calvin Demba, Sam Frenchum and Sinéad Matthews
From the producers of Park Theatre sell-out hit The Boys in the Band comes another darkly comic masterpiece: Joe Orton’s classic farce Loot. Uproarious slapstick meets dubious morals as two young friends stash the proceeds of a bank robbery in an occupied coffin, attempting to hide their spoils from the attentions of a psychopathic policeman, a gold-digging nurse and a grieving widower.
The ensuing black comedy shocked and delighted audiences in equal measure when the play premiered five decades ago, winning the Evening Standard Best Play award.
This fiftieth anniversary production is directed by Michael Fentiman, whose credits include two acclaimed shows for the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as the recent Park Theatre critically-acclaimed hit, Raising Martha.
“Orton’s great black comedy often seems prophetic in its satirical depiction of the state intruding ever deeper into the personal liberties of its citizens.” Daily Telegraph
“Loot spirals inventively into the higher reaches of preposterousness, false reasoning and sheer lunacy. A delectable amusement.” Evening Standard
“Laughter is a serious business, and comedy a weapon more dangerous than tragedy. Which is why tyrants treat it with caution.” Joe Orton