Loot

Synopsis

The events in this blackest of comedies take place on the day of a murdered woman's funeral. The coffin dominates the stage, but where is the body? And where is the stolen loot from the recent bank robbery? What is the secret history of the much married nurse? Just how close is the friendship between Dennis and Hal? And why does the man from the water board seem to be conducting a murder inquiry?

Our Review:

16 December 2008

It is not so much that Joe Orton’s Loot is still a shocking play, but that its audacity and verve still take you by surprise. Sean Holmes’s revival at the Tricycle may not yet be fall-over funny, but it has a brutal comic momentum that is won by actors rattling out the lines deadpan and without indulgence.

Mrs McLeavy’s coffin is open at the start, and her mummified corpse gradually becomes an animated property as it’s tossed from the cupboard to the floor and around the stage. The investigations into the robbery at the bank next to the undertakers’ are led by Truscott, a police inspector masquerading as a water board official (or is that vice versa?).

Mr McLeavy himself is attended by his wife’s nurse, Fay, who has her sights set on husband number eight, while McLeavy’s son, Hal, is the bank robber on the run along with his gay friend Dennis. The tightness of this plotting is a joy in itself, but no stage action is sacrificed to the cause of a good line, or a blasphemo...

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 21 January 2009:

I had originally intended to see Well this afternon but the reviews were so bad I decided to take advantage of the Tricycle's unreserved seating policy and booked one of the last tickets for a packed matinee. Despite some reservations I think I made the right choice as Loot is frequently very funny indeed. However, David Haig is at risk of becoming typecast as a blustering and very sweaty maniac and unfortunately most of the cast followed his lead, resulting in two hours of much too loud and shouty acting, especially for such a small theatre. As I said, Joe Orton's script is very funny and surprisingly hasn't dated, if a touch too absurdist for my taste. Although mostly enjoyable the overall effect is a bit like being beaten up by Truscott of the Yard and I emerged into Kilburn High Road with a splitting headache....

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