Monday, August 22, 2016

Leicester celebrates Joe Orton and Loot



To mark the 50th anniversary of the London premiere of Joe Orton's play Loot, a number of events are taking place in Leicester.

On Saturday 24 September there is an evening with Kenneth Cranham at the Curve Theatre, who appeared in the original production. The event will also feature Orton's sister Leonie Orton Barnett.

On Sunday 25 September sees a free celebration at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery involving another member of the original cast, Michael Elwyn, and other speakers including the novelist Jake Arnott.

And between 24 September and 30 October there will be a display at New Walk of material from the University of Leicester's Orton Archive.

Full details of these events and other resources, including an interview with Dudley Sutton, can be found on the university website.

I got my ticket for the Sunday event today.

Joe Orton came from Leicester - like Richard Attenborough his first involvement with the stage was at the city's Little Theatre.

But I am also going because I remember seeing Leonard Rossiter in Loot a few weeks before he died.

1 comment:

Municipal Dreams said...

Hope you don't mind me flagging up my own blog here but my post on the Saffron Lane Estate where Orton grew up is of possible interest to your readers:

https://municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/the-saffron-lane-estate-leicester-moving-into-paradise/