French playwright and novelist Yasmina Reza’s satirical comedy about warring middle class parents God of Carnage plays at the Theatre Royal this week. Translated by Christopher Hampton, it has enjoyed successful runs in London and New York as well as adapted into a film Carnage which won a Cesar for Best Script.
The Tony Award winning production stars Downton Abbey’s Elizabeth
McGovern as the insufferable Veronica who hosts a meeting along with her
husband Michael (Nigel Lindsay) and fellow parents Alan (Simon Paisley Day) and Annette (Samantha Spiro) to discuss a recent playground squabble with their children.
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As the civilised conversation quickly descends into a heated slanging match, the couples bicker and throw accusations at each other as the night rolls on and drinks are poured. As tensions escalate and relationships are tested, the playground squabble quickly becomes the least of their problems.
The 85 minute long one act production relies on the stellar dramatic performances of an experienced cast to engage the audience as they each take their turn in the limelight to display the complexity and turmoil of each of their characters.
McGovern shines as the uptight left wing American Veronica whose patronising lecturing and moralising soon takes its toll. Lindsay complements her well as her uncouth husband who is much less interested in keeping up appearances or any form of political correctness.
Paisley Day is wonderfully irritating as the arrogant and pompous lawyer who shows little interest in anything other than his mobile phone. Finally Spiro plays the long suffering, people pleasing wife who finally has enough and turns the tables on her husband once and for all.
Talking about the play, Hampton comments “God of Carnage is a very acute
piece of social observation. Yasmina writes about middle-class anger and
recklessness with which people behave whenever they feel under attack. In God of Carnage, the middle-class parents are relentless in the lengths to which they are prepared to go when necessary and we see in the play how relatively shallow that veneer of civilisation proves to be,”
The quick-witted script prompts plenty of knowing laughs and nods from the audience with dry sarcasm and cutting remarks as the adults get drunker and the conversation gets rowdier. Set entirely in one scene it can be a bit of a slow start but once all of the characters hit their stride, the fricton on stage lead to an evening none of them will forget in a hurry. Overall the delivery of the first-class actors combined with a sharp script make for anentertaining evening. Will especially resonate with parents of young children.
Runs until Saturday 1 st February.
