GALLERY

The Evening Standard Award
In January 1967, Loot was awarded the London Evening Standard award for Best Play of 1966. Much to Kenneth Halliwell’s disappointment, Orton took Peggy Ramsay to the awards ceremony. Orton went dressed in Halliwell’s striped suit, accompanied by a wide flowered tie and a high collared striped shirt. Orton and Ramsay were announced as ‘Mr & Mrs Orton’. Ramsay said to Orton, ‘I’ll be your wife for the afternoon’.

The ‘Mr & Mrs Orton’ incident left Orton relieved that he had left Halliwell at home:

‘All I could think of was how embarrassing if, as I’d originally planned, I’d taken Kenneth’.
Orton diaries, 1967

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Orton diary excerpt © The Orton Estate

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