Loot

‘Loot’ was the third major writing by playwright Joe Orton. This 45-year old, multi-award winning comic masterpiece is presented by Class Act Theatre at Subiaco Arts Centre Studio, 180 Hamersley Rd, Subiaco until the 19^th June. Shows at 7.30 pm with a matinee at 2.00 pm on Saturday 19^th June.

        In his London home, staunch Irish Catholic, Mr. McLeavy (Kym Bidstrup), a blameless man, is mourning the death of his wife (Shirley Van Sanden). However, Mrs McLeavy’s bloodsucking nurse (Angelique Malcolm) is making swift moves for the widower – or to be correct his legacy.

        Meanwhile, two young crooks, the McLeavy’s son, Hal (Nick Candy) and his long time friend and local undertaker, Dennis (Stacy Gougoulis) have just robbed a bank. On returning home, Hal intends to hide the money in his mother’s coffin. When they find there is not sufficient room in the casket, they transfer the corpse to the wardrobe.

       Upon the arrival of the unethical and pedantic sleuth, Inspector Truscott (Ian Toyne) disguised as a London Water Board official, there is disarray as Hal and Dennis try to keep him from snooping around. Their dilemma is what to do with the body next?

The play contains some wonderful characters and many very funny lines, but for some reason on the opening night the magic wasn’t quite there. The timing was slow and a few key lines not punched home properly. When Ian Toyne and Kym Bidstrup were together the whole show lifted and the chemistry worked well. Ian’s interpretation of Truscott as a blend of the dead parrot seller in Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes is hilarious.

Orton's plays tend to examine the moral fibre – or lack of backbone - of everyday characters that hear and see only what is convenient or least intrusive to their lives.

Perhaps Angelique easing on the Irish accent, so there is just a hint may help. The humour was dark, and in the Sixties the audience were irate at the social attitudes of the play. Maybe the play has dated very slightly, but I think that this well-proven, quality cast just didn’t meld.

So well respected is the script that many well-known stars of stage and screen have appeared in this play over the years. They include such diverse actors as Kenneth Williams, Zoë Wanamaker, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Richard Attenborough and Lee Remick. In 1984, actor Leonard Rossiter died whilst waiting to go onstage.

A very funny script troubled by first night nerves?