| Killer Joe | |
| Characters: | Chris Smith (twenty-two years old) Sharla Smith (early thirties) Ansel Smith (thirty-eight years old) Dottie Smith (twenty years old) Killer Joe Cooper (mid-thirties) |
| Setting: | "A trailer home on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas" |
| Place: | Next Theatre Lab, Evanston, Illinois |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Genre: | Black comedy, thriller, in-yer-face theatre |
Killer Joe is a play written by Tracy Letts in 1993.
The play was produced then premiered in 1993 at the Next Theatre Lab, in Evanston, Illinois, directed by Wilson Milam.[1] After a successful run, Killer Joe was transferred to the Traverse Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play gained positive reviews,[2] and received the Fringe First award, given to new productions at the festival. The play then made its New York premiere Off-Off-Broadway by 29th Street Repertory in 1994.[3]
Killer Joe transferred to London on 16 January 1995 at the Bush Theatre. The limited run at the Bush Theatre was a sell out, and once again received rave reviews.[4] After closing at the Bush Theatre, Killer Joe opened at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, for one year.
Killer Joe was revived Off-Broadway at the Soho Playhouse in October 1998 until 13 June 1999, starring Scott Glenn, Amanda Plummer and Michael Shannon.[5]
In 2018, Killer Joe opened at the Trafalgar Studio, London, starring Orlando Bloom, Sophie Cookson, Adam Gillen, Steffan Rhodri and Neve McIntosh.[6] This production was directed by Simon Evans.[7] Previews began on May 18, with the official opening on June 4. The production closed on August 18, 2018. Adam Gillen was nominated for a 2019 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor In a Supporting Role for his role in the production.[8]
Killer Joe is set in a trailer park in Mesquite, Texas, in present day. It follows the story of police detective and hit-man Joe Cooper. Joe is hired to kill the mother of a young drug dealer, Chris, with Chris's father Ansel as an accomplice. However, Chris and Ansel cannot afford to pay Joe, so Joe accepts Chris' innocent sister Dottie as a form of payment until the debts can be paid.
Letts adapted the dark comedy into the film Killer Joe in 2011.