Thursday, January 6, 2011

British Comedy Comes to Birmingham Festival Theatre with LOOT

English Playwright Joe Orton's Comedy Opens January 13, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - January 6, 2011 - Joe Orton was an English playwright whose farcical comedies are noted for their cynical dark humor. By the late 1960s, works displaying the humor characteristic of Orton began to be described as "Ortonesque.". Birmingham audiences are in for a special treat when LOOT opens next week.

The plot is a set-up for visual amusement as well. As a completely unethical detective closes in on a crime, charming young reprobates Hal and Dennis frantically attempt to hide the money they have stolen from a local bank. Meanwhile, Hal's deceased mother lies in state. The solution? Move the corpse and stash the ill-gotten loot in the coffin. What could possibly go wrong?

"LOOT was Orton's first farce, a theatrical device that suited him like a supple pair of leather pants," says Mel Christian, who is directing the play at BFT. "Farce operates under Murphy's Law where if things can go wrong, they will again and again! LOOT is a raucous, brilliantly contrived comedy, witty and incisive, subversive yet deliciously palatable. There's a reason Orton was heralded as the Oscar Wilde of his age."

Local actors Ward Haarbauer, Victoria Ward, Richard Taylor Campbell, Christoph Hooks, Edwin Booth and William Brisky make up the ensemble cast.

LOOT runs each Thursday, Friday and Saturday for three weeks at 8:00 p.m. beginning on January 13, with a matinee on Sunday, January 23, at 2:30 p.m. The show closes on January 29, 2011. Tickets are $20, $15 for students. For reservations, call the theatre at (205) 933-2383.


About Birmingham Festival Theatre
BFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For almost 40 years, BFT has been bringing local audiences theatrical experiences that touch the heart and stir the mind. Our all-volunteer Board of Directors works to involve the community's many talented directors, actors, designers and techies to produce the best in contemporary and classic theatre. For more information, go to http://www.bftonline.org.

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