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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