Killer Joe

Killer Joe Synopsis

"e;One of the best American plays of the past quarter century."e; - Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal"e;An immensely entertaining pop artifact. Written with neon-lit flamboyance."e; - Vincent Canby, New York Times"e;A brilliant play. A major theatrical event."e; - Michael Billington, Guardian';A visceral theatre experience of the highest order.

For those who like their theatre strong, not tepid, it's immensely gratifying.' BackstageThe Smith family hatch a plan to murder their estranged matriarch for her insurance money and hire Killer Joe Cooper, a police detective and part-time contract killer, to do the job. Once he enters the trailer, their simple plan spirals out of control. Letts's unforgettable first play is ';a tense, gut-twisting thriller ride' and has been performed in fifteen countries in twelve languages (Chicago Tribune).

The film adaptation, released in 2011 and starring Matthew McConaghey, is ';written with merciless black humorone hell of a movie' (Roger Ebert).Tracy Letts was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for August:

• Osage County, which premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2007 before playing Broadway, London's National Theatre, and a forty-week US tour. Other plays include Pulitzer Prize finalist Man from Nebraska
• Killer Joe, which was adapted into a critically acclaimed film
• and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago, and London and was adapted into a film. Letts is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company and garnered a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?