God of Carnage

God of Carnage is based on a true story, told to writer Yasmina Reza, by a friend, about her son being involved in a fight with another boy, and had teeth broken, and from this the idea for the play flourished.

This is only a four handed play, but all four characters were very very well played. The action takes place in the lounge of man and wife Veronique and Michel Vallon, played by Sarah Waters and Simon Brown, and it is their son who has lost his teeth in an altercation, with so called friend Ferdinand Reille, and it is his parents Annette and Alain, again convincingly performed by Caroline Robertson and Stephen Redman respectively, who are visiting the Vallons, to try and sort out the trouble, between the lads.

The conversation between the four begins quite civilly, while they are trying to compromise about the event, but things quickly turn sour, when each of the parents takes the side of their own, with no quarter given. Eventually each pair are not  only arguing with the other couple, but start arguing with each other, and almost ends up like the start of World War Three. The play is very funny, some of the comments between the couples are very comical, especially when the four start hitting the bottles of rum, and sanity goes out of the window. Carnage is a perfect description of the goings on, and any solution to the families problems become impossible.

All four performers in the play are stars, and quite clearly very accomplished actors, well done to all of them. The set worked well, and the sound and lighting were very appropriate to the plot, well done to whoever worked the mobile and landline sound effect, they were certainly kept going during the play. I particularly like the mural used as a backdrop. This was painted by Sarah Waters, not only a talented actress but a brilliant artist as well.

Thanks to the Green Room for a very enjoyable evening, and we look forward to the next production of The Ladykillers in June

      

 

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