Loot was revived from 11 December 2008 to 31 January 2009 at the Tricycle Theatre, London starring Matt Di Angelo and David Haig as Hal and Truscott. It transferred to Theatre Royal, Newcastle and ran between 2–7 February 2009. Orton was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium, his maroon cloth-draped coffin being brought into the west chapel to a recording of The Beatles song " A Day in the Life". [37] Harold Pinter read the eulogy, concluding with "He was a bloody marvellous writer." Orton's agent Peggy Ramsay described Orton's relatives as "the little people in Leicester", [38] leaving a cold, nondescript note and bouquet at the funeral on their behalf. Likewise, characters like Fay give long speeches about what is right, while acting only out of self-interest. As the play unfolds, the "moral" characters (everyone but Dennis and Hal) each reveal that their high words don't add up to ethical actions. When Fay discovers the money, about midway through the play, she immediately demands some of it or threatens to turn Hal in to the inspector. Loot is a two-act play by the English playwright Joe Orton. The play is a dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force. [1]

Cavendish, Dominic; "Why Joe Orton still matters: Loot, Park Theatre, review", The Daily Telegraph, 25 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018 Strangest of all was the insistence that the body of Mrs McLeavy must not be played by an actor. Instead, a mannequin had to be wrapped up and hidden behind a screen even though part of the humour of the play relied on the body being visible on stage. Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard, thinks ‘time has been unkind to Joe Orton’s plays’ and the changing taste in theatre and comedy makes Loot seem ‘rather sad and unsavoury’. The stand-out performances include Sinead Matthews as seven-times married nurse Fay, Christopher Fulford as the menacing inspector Truscott and Anah Ruddin who gamely spends the entire show playing a corpse.The farce will finally be performed in full at the Park theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, next week after the playwright’s sister Leonie, who administers his literary estate, agreed the original script could be used. Presented by The Watermill Theatre, Tom O’Connell and James Seabright in association with King’s Head Theatre and Park Theatre Loot was Orton's third major production, following Entertaining Mr Sloane and the television play The Good and Faithful Servant. Playing with the conventions of popular farce, Orton creates a hectic world and examines English attitudes and perceptions in the mid-twentieth century. The play won several awards in its London run and has had many revivals. The characters in this play are uncomplicated, but each reveals sides of themselves meant to show them as hypocrites (except for the "real" criminals: Hal and Dennis). Meadows, a minor character, is meant mainly to help show the corruption and basic ineptitude of the police force, but Truscott does most of the heavy lifting in that regard. This decision sets off a round of increasingly strange consequences. Hal's dad and the visiting nurse (Fay), who herself is a gold-digger, are distraught by the events, but Hal and Dennis are focused on not getting caught. Their callous use of the coffin leads to a lot of comic mishaps involving mistreatment of the corpse.

Coppa, Francesca (ed.), 2002. Joe Orton: A Casebook. Casebooks on Modern Dramatists series. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-8153-3627-6 Having seen the Havant Bench Theatre's production of Loot, I am left wondering if your critic (The News, Friday July 6) really did see the same play. If Saturday's performance is an example of the group's activities, then the criticisms were unjustified. The play was very well performed with a good set when one considered the small stage area. I am a staunch believer in supporting out local amateur drama group which puts on very good plays throughout the year and unworthy criticism in this case was uncalled for. Surely we should be encouraging groups such as Bench Theatre, not disillusioning them or their supporters who get a very good evening's entertainment at very little cost. Debauched capers in which eyeballs, false teeth and all human dignity go flying - it's breathlessly funny" ★★★★ The Stage Hal and Dennis’s hints at homosexuality immediately fell victim to the censor’s blue pencil because it was still illegal at the time.

Joe Orton's Loot: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

Barnes, Liam (9 August 2017). "The subversive genius of Joe Orton". BBC News . Retrieved 20 July 2019.