LOOT
by Joe Orton
Phoenix Theatre, Leicester 1978

Cast photo

Role Nigel Bennett as Inspector Truscott

Anecdote "We did Loot in Leicester, the birthplace of its author Joe Orton. He was dead, of course, having been murdered by his lover some years before. However, his sister still lived there. Now, much of the action in Loot revolves around a dead body, including strange uses being made of its false teeth. During the original West End run, Orton's mother died, and he turned up at the theatre after the funeral with her false teeth. She asked the actors if they wanted to use the real thing!! Just before our run, Orton's father died, and his sister asked us if we wanted to use him as the dead body!!! Strange family!!

Play Synopsis Hal and Dennis are lustful, thieving scamps. Dennis is a hearse driver for an undertaker. They have robbed the bank next door to the funeral parlour. Hal' s mother - McLeavy' s wife - has just died. Fay, the sexy young nurce who has seven deseased husbands behind her, is interested in marrying McLeavy. At the McLeavy house, where the embalmed Mrs McLeavy is lying in her coffin, Dennis has already had his way with Fay, is interested in marrying her and can offer her more financial "security" than McLeavy. Truscott (of the Yard), a brutal, corrupt and devious police inspector, is on to the lads and calls at the house to search for loot but as she has no warrant he poses implausibly as an inspector for the Metropolitan Water Board. The lads remove Hal's mother, all wrapped up, and lock her in a cupboard so that they can hide the money in the coffin which is shortly going to the cemetary. Later, when Truscott see's the "mummy" he is told it is a bust on which Fay makes dresses. Fay gets cut in for a third of the loot but Truscott digs out the fact that Fay poisoned Mrs McLeavy. However,there is a car crash on the way to the cemetery and though the money is saved the casket containing the innards (removed during embalming) is destroyed so there is no evidence against Fay, who is released. Truscott finds the money and has to be cut in for his quarter. McLeavy threatens to expose them so Truscott has him arrested and the others agree to give whatever evidence is necessary to have him put away. Fay agrees to marry Dennis.

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This page revised September 1, 2000