‘KILLER JOE’ is one of those plays that make you happy you live in good ol’ clean and green New Zealand; where the new lambs each Spring make front page news and the Wests, are about as bad as crime families go. We are a long way indeed from the gun wielding, trailer inhabiting, grammar muddling residents of mid-west America... and quite frankly, I am okay with the fact that Killer Joe may be as close as I will ever get to cowboy-country-living in Auckland.

Chris Smith and his trailer park dad Ansel decide to bring in the professionals on Chris’ mom, who just so happens to have a pretty big life insurance policy maturing upon her death. Enter stone-cold Joe Cooper; part-time detective, part-time gun for hire... as it sure makes things easier investigating your own crimes. What Ansel and Chris don’t count on (of course) is the deal going horribly wrong, making for some of the best staged fight scenes in a while, as well as a surprising amount of laughs along the way.

The strength of this play, really is in the cast. Little Chris Smith (Charlie McDermott), is surprisingly convincing as a youngster caught up in some serious troubles ahead of his time - struggling to clear his slate whatever the cost. Likewise, it’s nice to see Craig Hall of Outrageous fame trying his hand as a deadbeat father who can’t tear his eyes away from the latest chase on ‘Cops’ until it’s too late. Beth Allen as Dottie, is also more familiar as a sultry siren from Shortie, yet manages to pull of the naive country girl who gets pulled into the middle of her families mess. Although she definitely comes off as a little too strong in some places (she’s a slightly brain damaged youth), she still manages to hold the hearts of both her brother and father who would do anything to protect her little blonde head.

The most impressive performance of them all, is from gun-waving cowboy Joe. Tall and foreboding, he seems to cast a shadow over the Smiths from the first mention of his name. Colin Moy plays the part perfectly, all smiles and charm, yet behind the grin you see a man tightly coiled like a snake ready to strike at the slightest movement. His whole presence is like a flash-back to a time of honour and retribution, riding in with the thunder to claim your woman. In Dottie and Joe’s first encounter they stand face to face, five meters apart in that iconic cowboy pose, definitely completing the picture.

The other thing which really stands out a mile is the set dressing for the play. Simon Coleman the set designer, has really pulled out all the stops creating the ultimate trailer set. The attention to detail is incredible, sprayed on grime and all. I think the thing which blew most of the audience member’s minds was the authentic K-Fried-C bucket, having at least one audience member audibly gasp; ‘It’s an actual bucket'. The only little inaccuracy I spotted was a loaf of NZ bread which I am sure they don’t sell in Texas... but who am I to complain?

‘Killer Joe’ is not for the faint-hearted, and I was frequently caught recoiling far back into my seat. Yet it was definitely a unique and creative experience and well worth my Thursday night slot. To be honest, just going to hear five kiwi actors successfully pulling of that country twang in this house of ill repute was well worth the effort, indeed.