In media, it is said, there are three "never fails"-kids, old people and animals. Have any of these at your event, and you'll make the 6 o'clock news.
In theater, you might say, there are five never fails-smoke, gunshots, nudity, violence and adult situations. Have any of these and people might forget the bad economy and pay the $10-$15 for a ticket.
And that's just what a packed house did on a Sunday afternoon as Single Carrot Theatre presented the Baltimore premiere of noted American winning playwright Tracy Letts' KILLER JOE. Those five special characteristics are listed as a warning to viewers in Single Carrot's program, but it's less a precaution and more an invitation, particularly if you're a fan of Letts' works. As Letts proved with his Pulitzer Prize winning play, "August: Osage County," he is adept at unearthing dramatic gold from a mine some critics claim has long since run dry-the American dysfunctional family. Letts demonstrates his skill in KILLER JOE which has future Coen Brothers screenplay adaptation write all over it.In Letts world, it's always raining, the dog is always barking, and the Smiths--the anti-Waltons--have yet to discover the household wonder which is a wastebasket. Dottie sleepwalks, overhears the plot to murder her mother, but is fine with it, seeing as Mom tried to suffocate her when she was a child.
As my theater companion noted, "It was like a Jerry Springer episode set on stage." The play--sprinkled with humor to relieve the tension--exhibits not one, but two climatic moments: when Sharla's betrayal is discovered and Dottie finds empowerment through the barrel of a gun. Letts has a knack for "disturbance," creating scenes not unlike the proverbial car wreck. It's awful, but you just can't look away. One thing about this play is for sure-you'll never look at a bucket of KFC in quite the same way again.
Director Giti Jabaily gets first-rate performances out of the Single Carrot company. Ragan as Killer Joe never smolders, never rages. His evil is banal, as for him, all this is just another day at the office. Rauh, despite looking the same age as his "son," demonstrates an evil of another sort: selfish cowardice. Every character in this play is missing some vital piece of humanity--that core of decency and empathy we believe (or hope) to be innate, which makes us civilized, something more than a wolfpack like the Smiths who live by only one rule: survival of the fittest. Kudos to Paul Wissman, Joey Bromfield, Adam Stover and Genevieve de Mahy for their set work, creating as depressing a home environment as may be possible, right down to the stained, duct-taped couch and the battered general electric fridge which also serves as a coat rack. Single Carrot Theatre's production of KILLER JOE runs through March 15th, Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. at 120 W. North Avenue. Tickets are $10-$15. Call the box office at 443-844-9253 or visit www.singlecarrot.com.Videos