Last night Stuart, Jane, Sara and I went to see the gloriously uncut 50th anniversary production of Joe Orton's outrageous Loot at the Park Theatre in London's not so glitzy Finsbury Park.
Loot is a very dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force. To put it mildly.
Starring Calvin Demba as bisexual Dennis and Sam Frenchum as his gay lover Hal our hapless anti-heroes have robbed a bank and are attempting to hide their ill-gotten gains in Hal's dead mother's coffin. Sinéad Matthews as the diabolical Nurse Fay is on to them and wants her cut of the cash. Only they hadn't figured on the arrival of a corrupt "Water Board" official...
There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this farcical delight, astutely orchestrated by director Michael Fentiman. It's a bawdy, laughter-filled revival of an Orton classic, every line milked for maximum comedic impact.
Outstanding though all the acting was though, for me the night belonged to Christopher Fulford's manic Inspector Truscott and Anah Ruddin's lifeless but scene stealing corpse.
As Joe Orton once remarked, "Laughter is a serious business, and comedy a weapon more dangerous than tragedy. Which is why tyrants treat it with caution."
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