Replete with R-rated sex, violence and unspeakable acts, Killer Joe, the new production at Le Chat Noir, might well be classified a comedy of bad manners.

A family affair involving hired hits, an insurance scam and familial dysfunction of the highest order, Killer Joe takes place within the confines of a ramshackle Texas trailer home.

Doug Joiner, who plays the pot-addled paterfamilias and directed the production, said the strong, and often shocking, play represents Le Chat's focus on finding and producing plays that might not otherwise come to Augusta.

"It is a clear indication of our particular voice," Mr. Joiner said. "It's uncompromising and we're not afraid to present good work like this. I feel certain it is how we will build, continue to build our audience."

Filled with gunfire, profanity and some nudity, Killer Joe is a visceral experience and, Mr. Joiner said, definitely is not for young audiences. He said the relatively small performance space will only add to the intensity.

"It is important," said Krys Bailey, who plays rogue cop and hired hit man Joe Cooper. "I mean, this play just wouldn't have the same kick if we were on a stage 30 feet from the audience. It just wouldn't work as well."

Because of the extreme nature of the story, the actors have had to learn to carefully modulate their performances. Too much emphasis on the script's black comedy, and the proceedings veer toward foul-mouthed parody.

"Dana Cheshire, who plays the morally ambiguous matriarch Sharla Smith, said the play works because, although characters spend a great deal of time devising schemes to hurt one another, there's never a clear-cut division between hero and villain.

"Black comedy works best when there are shades of gray," she said. I mean everybody is pretty bad, but there is also this ambiguity, and that's what makes it work."

Addressing the nudity in the play, Mr. Joiner said it's part of a single scene and, given the blood and back-stabbing that surrounds it, is far less overt than might be expected.

"That's what's amazing," he said. "It actually becomes something that's sort of sadly beautiful."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.