P***k up your Ears Backstage 8

P***k Up Your Ears, a darkly comic play inspired by playwright Orton's diaries and the John Lahr biography of the same name (also the inspiration for Stephen Frears' 1987 film, scripted by Alan Bennett), examines the relationship between the two writers which ended tragically in 1967 when Kenneth Halliwell (Lucas) bludgeoned Orton (New) to death before committing suicide. The play imagines what really happened when, after years of creative collaboration, the door slammed shut and Kenneth Halliwell was home alone. It tells the story behind the domestic life of Joe Orton and Halliwell, holed up in a tiny flat in Islington, trading well-trodden insults and hilarious put-downs like any old married couple. This is a video of the UK tour the cast in rehearsals and behind the scenes.

Added 9 Apr 2026