'Killer Joe' coming to Edinboro

The start of the Spring season means a new set of Laugh Riot shows for the Edinboro area to enjoy, the first of which being “Killer Joe," a dark comedy written by Tracy Letts, of “August Osage County fame,” and directed by Rob Connick.

The story focuses on a small family who are attempting to gain the funds to pay off loan sharks in a particularly dastardly way — by collecting life insurance money from killing a family member with the help of contract killer and police detective, Joe Cooper. The production stars Morgan Gore as the titular “Killer” Joe Cooper, as well as Shaun Taylor, Patrick McGettigan, Kat Farinola, and Tyme LaDow as the members of the Smith family.

We sat down with McGettigan, the actor behind the character Chris Smith, to shed some light on the dark nature of this show, as well as what separates it from Laugh Riot’s other performances.

Spectator : What interested you to audition for the show?
Patrick : I'm always a huge fan of dark comedies. After watching the film version of the show, I couldn't help but get excited to audition for the show.

Spectator: What types of things have you done to prepare for the role?
Patrick: I've read the script multiple times, trying to pick out where everyone fits in Chris' story. What his relationship is between all of the other characters. The hardest part was rehearsing over the break. The back-and-forth dialogue between the characters is pretty challenging when you aren't walking and talking the part.

Spectator: What do you hope the audience takes away from the production?
Patrick: I hope the audience takes away every bit from this show. The dark part of the "dark" comedy, is supposed to stick to you when you watch the production, when you're leaving the theatre, when you're driving home. You're supposed to think about the more striking themes of the show. The comedy part is to make you stay. They work perfectly together and I hope the audience understands that.

The show, intended for mature audiences, premieres on Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Edinboro Performing Arts Center with additional shows on Jan. 22-23. There will also be a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24. Ticket prices are $10 for the general public, $5 for seniors, and $5 for E.U.P faculty, staff, and non-E.U.P students. Tickets for Edinboro students are $3. 

Britton Rozzelle is the Arts editor for The Spectator.

 

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