Overview
Synopsis
When Joe Orton wrote Loot, he was out to shock his audiences. One of his greatest black farces, the play centers around two amateur thieves (and suggested lovers), Dennis and Hal. Dennis works as a hearse driver for an undertaker and the pair have robbed the bank next door to the funeral parlor. They decide to hide their ‘loot’ in the coffin of Hal’s recently deceased mother, stashing her body in a wardrobe in the meantime. However, before they can remove the coffin, the dead body is discovered by Fay McMahon , a predatory nurse who makes a habit out of marrying men who subsequently die in strange circumstances. She has now quickly engaged herself to marry Hal’s father but when she discovers the Hal and Dennis’ stash of cash, she demands a third of the spoils. Dennis and Hal’s tricky situation is worsened further by the arrival of Inspector Truscott, who strangely disguises himself as a man from the local Water Board. Using the conventions of standard farce, the trio attempt to keep the body and the money away from the Inspector in an increasingly tangled web of deceit and corruption.
Show Information
- Book
- Joe Orton
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1965
- Genres
- Dark Comedy, Farce
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- A room in Mr. McLeavy's house, England, 1965
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Mostly Male Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters
Context
Loot premiered in February 1965 in Cambridge, England and received a mixed critical response. Many audience members were outraged at Orton’s take on morality and religion (just as the playwright intended) and its first run ended just one month later. This initial production starred Kenneth Williams, Ian McShane and Geraldine McEwan. The play was then revived in London one year later, where it was more favorably received, and transferred to Broadway in 1968. Kenneth Cranham played Hal in both
to read the context for Loot and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
As the play opens, Mrs. McLeavy’s coffin stands in the center of the room and her husband, McLeavy, is mourning the death of his wife. His contemplation is interrupted by Fay, his wife’s nurse, who suggests McLeavy, find a new wife. Indeed, she believes that someone like herself, would be the perfect candidate. Hal, McLeavy’s son, enters the room and opens a wardrobe but then immediately locks it back up again. McLeavy questions what is inside, but Hal refuses to tell him
to read the plot for Loot and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher