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31 August 2026
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5*****
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When the first production of Loot hit the stage in Cambridge in 1964, it had already been decimated by the Lord Chamberlain’s censorship pen and, with a cast including Kenneth Williams and Geraldine McEwan, it was a disaster. Orton took it so much to heart that he threatened never to write again. Thankfully he did and with rewrites and many of the censor’s cuts reinstated, it was re-staged at the Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre in London in 1966 – with a cast including Michael Bates, Simon Ward and Kenneth Cranham – where it received rave reviews and a transfer into the West End.
The tale of two young men trying to conceal their spoils from a bank robbery, whilst dealing with the coffined body of the mother of one of them, is now regarded as one of the smartest dark farce’s ever written. There is an Orton language – an oblique, unnatural way of speaking which carries so much of the comedy, but his dialogue is so layered with political and social comment that the combination becomes irresistible. The construction of the plot is brilliant and ludicrous by turn and when the production is as outstanding as this one, you realise what a genius the writer was. The year after Loot’s success in London, Orton was murdered by his writing partner and lover, Kenneth Halliwell. What talent was lost.
Andrew Beckett ‘gets’ Orton and has gathered a cast who do so too and can deliver the razor sharp lines at breakneck speed and carry out the immense amount of business with coffins, money and a body, with pinpoint comic timing.
Beckett’s simple set is all that is needed to act as backdrop to the shenanigans and is enhanced by all the right props and costumes to tell the story. The moment the nurse, Fay, utters the line to the grieving husband, “You’ve been a widower for three days. Have you considered a second marriage yet?”, the audience know they can laugh. This is a role which Laura Anna-Mead appears to have been born to play; as Ortonesque a performance as you could wish to see – sublime on every level. Dominic McChesney is in glorious form and perfectly cast as McLeavy; continually unable to understand what is going on as accusations fly, he becomes even funnier after the accident with the hearse when he can only emit noises for a while. Making his professional stage debut, as McLeavy’s son Hal, Adam Hutchin, is simply terrific. Just about to enter his third year at Emil Dale Academy, this is his first full-length play and he carries the stage with such assurance and skill, imbuing Hal (who is unable to lie) with a cheeky chappiness and displaying a natural sense of stage timing. It is a really impressive start to what one would hope would be a wonderful career ahead. Rhys Cannon is superb as Hal’s partner in crime, Dennis, who happens to be an undertaker, creating a dual aspect to the character – from the obsequious to the lovelorn womaniser. In one of the most iconic roles in British theatre, Anton Tweedale does not disappoint as Inspector Truscott – a lying, corrupt and deceitful face of the establishment – it is a performance of simmering malevolence. Tweedale barely stops talking when on stage and animates the idiotic and incompetent Truscott so beautifully – it’s a towering achievement. Without appearing in the first Act and without uttering a line, Sam McInnerny appears as Sergeant Meadows a third of the way into Act Two, and gets the biggest laugh of the night. It takes a special talent to achieve that – McInnerny demonstrates just how to make a deep impact in the smallest of roles.
Throughout, Orton takes issue with the Establishment. With the Church – particularly the Catholic one – with the Police and with the Government – it is unremitting but so clever and even more so when you consider the play is over 60 years old. It has a freshness, a relevance and an insight – it could have been written last week.
Orton is often shied away from – it may cause offence and upset – Shakespeare did the same. Andrew Beckett has created a really memorable production which will hold it’s head high in the Sidmouth Rep Pantheon and demonstrates the sheer quality of what happens every summer at the Manor Pavilion Theatre. I laughed like the proverbial drain. You are urged to give Orton a chance if you haven’t before, keep an open mind and luxuriate in the chaos and madness on stage in this top-notch production.
Cast
McLeavy – Dominic McChesney
Fay – Laura Anna-Mead
Hal – Adam Hutchin
Dennis – Rhys Cannon
Truscott – Anton Tweedale
Meadows – Sam McInnerny
Creatives
Writer – Joe Orton
Director – Andrew Beckett
Set Design – Andrew Beckett
Costume Designer – Janet Huckle
Lighting Design – Chris Jackson & Will Tippett
Sound Design – James Prendergast
Props Supervisor – James Prendergast
Set Builder – Rhys Cannon
Stage Manager – James Prendergast
Sound/Lighting Operation – Stephanie Willson
Stage Management Team – Dominic McChesney & Rhys Cannon
Season Producer – Andrew Beckett
Season Patron – Paul Taylor-Mills
Photo Image – Sidmouth Rep
