Other journalists describe Killer Joe as a story of stupid trailer trash, violence and sex . That does this interesting play a disservice. Rather, the drama shows a dysfunctional and uneducated family -- something we all can relate to -- and the story is 99 percent about plotting a crime, rather than showing violence. There is full frontal nudity, male and female, but it is not erotic.
24-year-old Chris needs cash to pay off his drug dealer and enlists the aid of his pot-smoking, divorced father to murder Chris' mother for her insurance money. Joe is the hired assassin who demands to sleep with Chris' virgin sister, Dottie, as down payment for the hit. The twists of plot are comical as the murder plan escalates out of control and towards a surprise ending.
Amanda Schoonover is touching as the sweet, emotionally-retarded sister. Pearce Bunting and Matt Saunders are superb as the amoral father and son, sleazy characters who will not only murder but also sell the body of their daughter and sister. These actors make them believable and understandable, even a bit sympathetic. John Lumia gives us a Killer Joe who is smooth, rather than cold and intimidating. This makes us understand the mutual attraction between him and Dot, and it lends poignancy to their scenes. On the other hand, this characterization robs the play of some tension. One yearns to see a blood-curdling killer like Humphrey Bogart in Petrified Forest or Scott Glenn in the 1998 New York production of Killer Joe, and yet Lumia's interpretation makes us care.
Mary Lee Bednarek effectively plays the father's second wife who has a scheme of her own. Joe Canuso deserves credit for keeping the characters real and also directing a great final scene, which I will not describe so as not to ruin the surprise when you see the play.
