Theatreguide.London
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The Theatreguide.London Review
Killer
Joe
Trafalgar
Studios
Summer 2018
Killer Joe is one of those plays that was
very much of its time (early 90s USA) yet survived to become a
pocket-ensemble staple – joining a list that includes Speed the Plough and
Three Women – suitable for venues small and large, and beloved of screen
stars wanting to return to their stage roots.
So, now starring Orlando Bloom, this is the one about Deep South
trailer-trash subculture where marginal lives come with a bend in reality
for most aspects of life, especially where moral norms are concerned. It’s
a world that Tracy Letts’ 1993 play dissects with an unerring eye without
ever judging.
Bloom drives the plot as Killer Joe Cooper, the cop moonlighting as a
hitman who descends on the dysfunctional Smith family in a dark comedy of
gloriously inept errors where an ill-conceived plan for ill-gotten gain
via a murder for life insurance drops this hapless gathering deep into the
Gothic abyss of America’s social underbelly.
Violence, nudity, more violence and a wince-making chicken drumstick fellatio scene add appropriately unsettling punctuation across the sprawling trailer park set.
It’s a worthy choice to guarantee a sold-out
run on the West End, especially when it delivers double-value as a star
vehicle for Orlando Bloom and, as already noted, a solid ensemble piece.
However, it’s also a funny old play because there’s really only one way to
stage it, namely to race through the dialogue at breakneck speed without
overthinking it, relying on Letts’ earthy Southern dialogue and twists of
plot to define the characters, situational humour and motivation.
The result should be a dark, violent, near absurdist comedy, and if you
don’t look too closely Simon Evans’ production gets away with it - just.
In reality there’s far too much thinking going on, rather than revelling
in the helter-skelter come-uppances of these paragons of greed.
Bloom brings undeniable presence to Killer Joe yet his soul-searching
approach means that his character fails to ignite any of that
all-important menace. It isn’t that complicated, honestly - knowing this
is your local psychopath is more than enough for the audience to be on the
edge without losing humour or noir.
Since the other characters have to take their lead from how Killer Joe is
set up, though the cast work hard their performances suffer.
Strongest is Sophie Cookson’s vulnerable daughter Dottie Smith, bringing
depth to the woman-child offered up by her family as sexual sacrifice to
the hitman.
As her seedy self-serving father Ansel,
Stefan Rhodri is unfocused, although Neve McIntosh puts in convincing
swagger as feisty stepmother Sharla. As odious petty drug dealer son
Chris, Adam Gillen’s OTT take is undermined by an accent that’s more miss
than hit.
By opting for drama (with laughs) rather than straight-ahead farce, the
play bleeds comedy and pace, not helped by set and costumes that lack any
meaningful nod to Americana, while the episodes are hit and miss in
evoking atmosphere or plot nudges.
So several tricks missed, and yet... and
yet... somehow, such is the magic of theatre, none of it prevents this
latest outing from being the winning crowd-pleaser it is.
Nick
Awde
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