A revival of Joe Orton’s famous farce ‘Loot’ is the latest offering from The Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch. Orton’s 1965 dark comedy remains a sharp swipe at authority, religion and respectability and this production embraces the play’s anarchic spirit — even if it sadly doesn’t always land its punches cleanly.

The plot is gloriously absurd. Two young thieves stash their bank-robbery haul in the coffin of Hal’s recently deceased mother, while navigating an overbearing nurse, a gold-digging widower and a corruption-soaked police inspector who is seemingly working for the local water board. It’s a deliciously irreverent premise and the script is littered with comic lines and physical, farcical moments throughout.

Sadly, Bethany Pitts’ direction seems to be a little too chaotic. There’s brisk pacing and heightened performances that theatre of this nature requires but unfortunately many moments are rushed meaning the comedy and storyline is lost. Heightened performances from the cast also sway towards overacting and it’s a real shame that several of the performers’ diction and volume is well below par, making much of the dialogue difficult to hear and understand.

Zoe Hurwitz’ set design is a strength with a large colourful, flashing crucifix the centrepiece and a neat nod to the ongoing anarchy. However, the white wall at the rear of the stage, clearly supposed to be an exterior garden or brick wall, feels forgotten about and is awfully distracting.

Orton’s comedy works best when played with absolute seriousness and reality. Here, the cast occasionally telegraph the jokes, pushing for laughs rather than trusting the script’s deadpan brutality. Nicholas Karimi’s ’Inspector Truscott’ is a highlight and the production’s standout performance. He shows good comic timing and finds the right note of oily menace with absurd authority.

Thanks to Orton’s timeless script, there’s still entertainment value here, especially when the production slows down enough to let Orton’s barbed dialogue breathe. This may not be the perfect revival but it’s a spirited reminder of why Orton remains such a mischievous force in British theatre.

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