Big Idea Theater’s production of Tracy Lett’s “Killer Joe” is a rollar-coaster ride of a play. It moves fast, the dialog is crisp, the story straightforward. The plot is not complicated; it has a twist here and there, but it’s totally accessible.
The object of the play, one “Killer Joe” Cooper, a police detective and hitman, is played by Rick Elderedge, who does a marvelous job of taking on the affectations of a sophisticated Texan whose eccentricities include a pragmatic approach to both sides of the law, a soft spot for frail women, a droll sense of humor and the natural instincts of a predator. He is dangerous.
The rest of the cast — Justin Munoz as “Chris Smith”, Shannon Mahoney as ” “Sharla Smith”, Wade Lucas as “Ansel Smith”, and Kat Wolinski as “Dottie Smith” — are the perfect foil for the murderer. They are more or less amoral, a bit naive, and driven to venality by a perception of poverty. What the Smith family lacks in sophistication they make up for with desperation. They are more or less dumb.
The exception is Dottie, who apparently suffered an injury as a child; she has her own unique kind of wisdom. She is passive, but prescient. She seems to know what’s going on in a much deeper way than the other characters. She also demonstrates a level of resolve the others don’t have.
“Killer Joe” can be thought of as what would happen if Hunter Thompson had written “Arsenic and Old Lace.” It has that exact kind of dark humor, but without the gentle whimsy. It’s very much not gentle.
The play is incredibly fast paced, the dialog is delivered sharply and without hesitation. 100% in the moment. And some of the moments are harsh; not simply murder, but a bit of sadism as well. The sexual content is not an “overtone” or “implied”, it’s explicit, starting with scene one. To put this play on the stage required a huge level of commitment and discipline. Everyone put on incredible performances.
The story at its essence is that a family decides to murder a relative for insurance money, and they hire Killer Joe Cooper to do the job. They finesse a deal with him, which includes Dottie as “retainer.” She is “retained” by Killer Joe several times during the play. The sardonic humor of the dialog and Keystone Kops style action tends to blunt the disturbing overtones –up to a point. Slapstick comedy can only befuddle the brain for so long.
For me, the question is, “why did Letts write this play?” And of course, why did Big Idea stage it? It’s entertaining, particularly if you don’t like typical romantic comedies (if you liked “Natural Born Killers” you’ll love Killer Joe) but it goes way beyond a line that only a few years ago would have landed the entire cast in jail.
Breaking down social barriers is always tricky, and mostly dangerous. We see nudity in movies all the time. Why not plays? Well it’s a bit late now to argue against it, it’s been here and done that. But before Killer Joe I hadn’t really thought about how I would react to it. Well it’s bit like ice water down the back for a few seconds, but you get used to it.
The bigger question is, why do the women in the play come under such duress? The men, knuckleheads that they are, certainly could use a beating. Which Justin Munoz actually gets — he is the best “beat up” guy you’ll ever find see on stage, a marvelous blend of pain, angst and humor. And Wade Lucas gets tossed around too. But the women, well they get punished.
Killer Joe proves once again that Big Idea is an incredibly talented team. Professional, as in these men and women could play on any venue; they are strong. BIT proves community theater can deliver amazing productions. And it proves that the larger questions of what kind of society we are is still open to speculation.
Cheers.
