The story of playwright Joe Orton is a dark one. A closeted homosexual, he lived with his
partner (and fellow writer) Kenneth Halliwell and rose to fame in the early ‘60s
before homosexuality was made legal. As
such, his writing was full of scandal, black humour and cynicism as Orton
rebelled against the establishment, all before he was brutally murdered by Halliwell
who was jealous of his success (and committed suicide immediately afterwards).
Orton contains
none of this darkness or wry humour. Instead, book and
lyrics writer Sean J Hume and composer Richard Silver have ambitiously
attempted to tell the whole story of Orton’s career, from RADA student to his
death, in what turns out to be an incredibly camp musical comedy. There are a number of underlying themes – closeted
homosexuality and jealousy between the two artists in particular – but the
writing simply isn’t strong enough for the weight of the narrative. The dialogue and lyrics are stilted
and forced, whilst the narrative relies on a clichéd view of
homosexuality. Orton himself is reduced
to a promiscuous borderline nymphomaniac, whilst Halliwell is little more than
a jealous housewife stuck at home.
Indeed, it’s sex that’s at the heart of this musical – it’s
all any of the characters seem to think about.
Judging by the quotes from Orton’s diary that adorn the theatre walls,
there’s certainly some truth behind Orton’s characterisation. Yet rather than offering a dark exploration
of his psyche, the show merely offers a series of camp musical numbers,
lurching from soppy Disney ballads to a big Broadway style number about
sleeping with boys in Morocco (that’s given an encore!) and even a song about
cottaging complete with simulated oral sex that’s not even tongue in cheek. It’s a laughable, crass and tasteless
depiction of homosexuality.
The cast certainly enjoy themselves in their various
roles. Richard Dawes is suitably rampant
as Orton, whilst Andrew Rowney’s sympathetic performance as Halliwell ensures
the ending is appropriately shocking.
The talented ensemble, meanwhile, are woefully underused. Somewhat led by Katie Brennan, her powerful vocals
are simply unmatched by the rest of the cast, whilst Valerie Cutko offers
tangible emotion as Mrs Cordon (the couples’ neighbour) and Simon Kingsley’s
depiction of Kenneth Williams is hilariously over the top.
It’s these often cartoonish performances that ensure the
night is an enjoyable and amusing one, but stylistically the show is at
complete odds with the source material. Perhaps
in these more liberal times, homosexuality itself isn’t the shock it used to
be, but Orton’s life story deserves a more sensitive treatment than offered
here.
2/5
Watch: Orton runs
at the Above The Stag Theatre until 9th May.