The Complete Plays: The Ruffian on the Stair, Entertaining Mr. Sloan, the Good and Faithful Servant, Loot, the Erpingham Camp, Funeral Games, What the Butler Saw
by Joe Orton
book data
91 ratings, 4.27 average rating, 9 reviews
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published
January 12th 1994
by Grove Press
binding
Paperback, 448 pages
isbn
0802132154
(isbn13: 9780802132154)
description
This volume contains every play written by Joe Orton, who emerged in the 1960s as the most talented comic playwright in recent English history and was...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 123)
Read in January, 1986
I have read all these plays and even have the distinction of having directed his play Funeral Games. It was the first production of this play done in the United States. He was a well liked English playwright who made the statement that rather than grow old he would rather be remembered as a good looking corpse. he shouldnt have said that as he was murdered by his lover at a very early age.He wrote comedies mostly on the dark side and to this day they are still being done all over the world.
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Josh by:
Karin Magaldirecommends it for: People who like comedies
I've had this crazy idea that I should read an author's complete works in the chronological order in which they wrote them to better understand them. This book shows me quite clearly that this isn't a good policy, since Joe Orton's early plays were BORING, and his last two, Loot and What the Butler Saw were fucking amazing!
Point of the story is, there's often a reason an authors lesser known works are lesser known.
Point of the story is, there's often a reason an authors lesser known works are lesser known.
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This man's understanding of comedy is like a bat's. Or rather as sonar is to bat so is comedy to Joe Orton. He was murdered of course, but not by me. I don't feel the same way about Joe Orton as I do about Samuel Beckett. And besides, I wasn't even alive then.
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Read in May, 1988
Read this collection for the first time or re read it again, dear! It IS as fantastic as you remember! Farce at it's best. Intelligent writing that appeals to your "off" side. This man is a genius.
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“That's typical of your upbringing, baby. Every luxury was lavished on you--atheism, breast-feeding, circumcision. I had to make my own way.”
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recommends it for:
well adjusted anglophilic perverts
What a lovely farcical rapscallion ol' joe is. Joe Orton is the kind of playwright I want to be when I grow down.
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Over then “What the Butler Saw” which is hilarious, the rest are fairly uneven.
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