Los Angeles Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The reiterative slapstick can wear thin and certain performers seemed a bit shaky on their lines opening weekend. However, all are droll, deft and well cast, with Hormann as the standout of the show playing the father. The actor is a master of comic timing whose subtle double-takes are pure pleasure to watch."
Stage and Cinema
- Recommended
"...The boys are slathered with disarming charm - Robbie Jarvis as Hal, whose compulsive honesty undermines his cunning, and Alex James-Phelps as the cheeky Dennis, uncertain as to which gender on whom to bestow his sexual favors."
LA Splash
- Highly Recommended
"..."Outrageous," "bizarre," and "ghoulish" are just a few of the adjectives which might be applied to LOOT. Then why is the audience laughing' Author Orton manages to turn the mundane into the unexpected with a sly glance and a sardonic word. Ever the cynic, Orton captures the fantasies society espouses and turns them topsy-turvy. LOOT was a child of the 60's - and yet it is not dated almost 60 years later. Audience Alert: Remember that nothing is sacred in Orton's eyes. LOOT is definitely not kiddie friendly, but adults will find it hilarious and captivating."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Bart DeLorenzo and a mostly English cast get bad-boy Brit Joe Orton abso-bloomin'-lutely right in Loot, the provocative, hilarious latest from Odyssey Theatre Ensemble."
Showmag
- Highly Recommended
"...The cast is pitch-perfect starting with Nicholas Hormann's hilariously hapless patriarch, McLeavy. Elizabeth Arends moves effortlessly from pious to manipulative as the Black Widow nurse, Fay. As the earnest Hal, Robbie Jarvis appears to be more in love with Dennis than with his larcenous career. Alex James-Phelps' Dennis is the brains of the robbery and has the kind of sexual magnetism that keeps both Hal and Fay on a string. Ron Bottitta nabs every laugh as the pompous and shockingly incompetent police inspector, Truscott. Selina Woolery Smith easily wins the award for most abused actor playing both the dead body and Truscott's assistant, Meadows."
Stage Raw
- Highly Recommended
"...Orton unloads on all his favorite targets: the Catholic Church, institutional hypocrisy and corruption, run-amok authority and the "sanctity" of marriage. When it first premiered, there was an understandable outpouring of indignation, but considering the world of today, audiences aren't at all inclined to be ticked off or offended by such satirical jabs."
Theatre Notes
- Highly Recommended
"...Enthusiastically directed by Bart DeLorenzo, the cast often plays straight out to the audience in a Brechtian presentational style. The show is as fast paced as a farce should be, and, judging from the audience response on a Sunday afternoon, Loot is clearly a crowd pleasure."
Haines His Way
- Highly Recommended
"...The very talented cast gets all the laughs and more. Jarvis and James-Phelps bring an easy camaraderie and a fluid sexual charm to the boyish bank robbing twosome. Arends easily commands them and the other men with her take charge assertiveness. Bottitta only needs a French accent to match the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, although Truscott is darker and much more violent at times. Hormann gives a bright shine to befuddlement. I have seen many productions of Loot over the years but I have never seen one where a live actress served as the corpse of Mrs. McLeavy. Hopefully Selina Woolery Smith's costume is well padded for all the abuse she takes. She also appears on her own two feet as the policewoman Meadows. Loot is a hoot! Don't miss it or you will definitely feel robbed."
Ticket Holders LA
- Recommended
"...Now being presented as the kickoff production of "Circa '69!," the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble's 50th anniversary season offering an 18-month retrospective of plays that rocked the world of theatrical literature at the time of the company's inception, Loot has been lovingly revived under the leadership of director Bart DeLorenzo."
USTheatre
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The problem is with any Orton work is to speak his outrageous witty lines without any attempt to give credence to their absurdity. This playwright's fictions simply won't survive with campy winks. Orton's writing "pretends" to be as serious as Osbourne's tortured couples, while all the time revealing the absurdity of their situations. The cast at the Odyssey primarily succeeded, but, once again, there were moments when the dialogue was perhaps slowed down a bit, or, even worse, sped up, going right past the audience's ability to catch up with the satire. Orton's plays combine post-modern wit and old-fashioned comic athleticism in a way that is extremely difficult to portray for young actors. And despite the director's program declaration that Orton's play has not aged, I'd argue that in the horrible cynicism in which we today live, the writer's irony has been somewhat lost."
Broadway World
- Recommended
"...As directed by Bart DeLorenzo, this tale of corrosive wit, dizzying intrigue and classic farce suggests that the only acceptable alternative is to become a criminal, with Orton supplying laughs at everyone's expense along the way."
