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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

Lead Characters

Context

Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Hal

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Dennis

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Inspector Truscott

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Fay

Supporting

Female

Non-singer

McLeavy

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Meadows

Featured

Male

Non-singer

Songs

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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

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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

Alexandra Appleton

Writer, editor and theatre researcher