Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > June > 21 > Entry
What’s so dark about ‘Killer Joe’?
See “Killer Joe.” The Tracy Letts trailer-trash comedy clicks, sparks and sizzles.
What about Shakespeare or the Ancients? This rough stuff is as old as Thespis.
I guess it’s more disturbing now because Letts’ Texas-averse setting is contemporary and close, meaning Dallas County.
Making a statement about the future of his ascendant Capital T Theatre, director Mark Pickell synthesizes his ensemble down to the tiniest nuance. How to pick a stand-out among Ken Bradley, Joey Hood, Joe Reynolds, Katie DeBuys and Melissa Recalde, who don’t miss a quarter note?
If forced, I’d have to choose Recalde, whose mentally challenged 20-year-old virgin surprises with almost every half-absent, delayed-a-beat reaction.
But whom am I kidding? It’s a flawless production brought to a thrillingly bloody conclusion. Only three performances left at Hyde Park Theatre. Or wait for the inevitable revival.
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