Killer Joe: The play

In 1994, Tracy Letts’s play Killer Joe had its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe. Here’s what The Scotsman’s Douglas Fraser had to say. The review led to the play winning a Fringe First Award.

“ADULTS only, nudity on stage, foul language: this has all the publicity trappings of a cheap, tawdry, late-night Fringe gimmick. But that doesn’t stop it being an engrossing piece of dirty realism theatre. Imported from a trailer park near Dallas, the story is of a dysfunctional family in which dopehead Chris needs dollars and conspires to get hold of his estranged mother’s life assurance payout. Into the grubby home comes the assassin, Joe, played by Eric Winzenreid, menace coiled inside him later to be unleashed with terrifying ferocity. With more than a nod to Sam Shepard, every gross detail of redneck life is brought on stage: beer and belly, explosive aggression, the background babble of football commentary and country music

Tracy Letts’s dialogue and the five-strong cast observe superbly the family’s hurled insults and grunted affection, turning the characters into one of the funniest and blackest of Fringe comedy acts. The uncompromising acting, directing and pacing make Killer Joe a repellent yet totally compelling experience.”