As seen in the film Prick Up Your Ears, the short life and violent death of Joe Orton makes a fascinating story in itself. But his true legacy is this collection of seven plays. From the early radio script The Ruffian on the Stair to the masterful farces Loot and What the Butler Saw, Orton displayed a rude wit and keen ear for dialogue that prompted one London newspaper to dub him "the Oscar Wilde of Welfare State gentility."

Tony Peltier