Prepare to feel uncomfortable

Feb 3 2009 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

INSPECTOR Grim turns nasty in a new adaptation of Joe Orton's Loot. Sam Wonfor talks to David Haig about this shocking play.

"AMORAL, pompous, coarse, vicious – and hopefully very funny". David Haig is describing his latest on-stage character, the horribly corrupt Inspector Truscott in Joe Orton's Loot.

Following a run of well-attended performances in the capital, the production arrives at Newcastle Theatre Royal tonight for a one-off out-of-London run and, according to David – who is starring alongside actress Doon Mackichan – we should prepare to feel rather uncomfortable.

“There were elements of this play which were inherently shocking in the 1960s,” he says.

And, although it could be assumed it would take more to shock in 2009 than it would have done in 1966, when the play made its debut proper, David still reckons Loot has the ability to leave audiences open-mouthed.

“You have to integrate your own shock and edginess. That’s the challenge,” he explains.

For those not au fait with the plot, Loot tracks the blighted fortunes of young lads, Dennis and Hal, who hijack Hal’s mother’s coffin to stash cash from a recent heist.

But when her body keeps turning up around the house and Inspector Truscott arrives to cast an unscrupulous eye over proceedings, things get complicated – and rather nasty too.

“I’ve always loved the play,” says the 53-year-old, who is probably most widely known for his roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral as Bernard, and The Thin Blue Line as Detective Inspector Grim.

But where Grim was no more than a simple buffoon, Truscott has a vicious streak. “He’s a very dark character,” says David, who follows Leonard Rossiter, Michael Bates and Sir Richard Attenborough – from the 1970 screen version – in the role.

However, one previous Truscott he won’t be hoping to emulate is Kenneth Williams – a questionable casting decision, you might argue – in the first incarnation of the play in 1965. It was a bona fide bombing in theatre terms if ever there was one.

“It was only down to Orton’s own tenacity that it came back at all and, of course, then it made a real impact,” says David. And he’s hoping it does so again.

Loot is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from tonight until Saturday. Call (0844) 112111 or visit www.theatreroyal.co.uk

For a full version of this interview, visit www.journallive.co.uk/culture  and click on the front cover of Culture Magazine.