Review: God Of Carnage - A Show That’ll Be Sure To Thoroughly Please And Entertain
Photo credit: God of Carnage (Photo by The Other Richard)
God of Carnage, written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and published in 2008, depicts the story of Veronica and Michael Novak and Annette and Alan Raleigh, and their two 11-year old sons, Bruno and Ferdinand. The latter, armed with a stick, knocks out two of Bruno’s teeth due to Bruno’s refusal of letting Ferdinand join his ‘gang’ (yes, 11-year olds have gangs.). The two couples decide to meet at the home of the Novaks, with hopes to quickly resolve the matter. The play’s runtime being 90 minutes, most definitely tells us they did not achieve such a feat. Nicholai la Barrie directs the play.
The play begins in the lavish living room of the Novaks– where the entirety of the play is set. All seems well at first, the couples quickly composing a statement about the incident between their sons, until things begin to change course. I say this both figuratively and literally. Hard to spot at first, being completely immersed in both the acting and the rising tension, the stage rotates gradually throughout, as the already dynamic personalities of each character develops even further as they abandon their smiles and reveal their true, stifled emotions. The tension deepens with the quiet, albeit very much present sound of sharp strings being played. What initially begins as a battle of pride between the spouses, turns into a war between the sexes, and then– everyone seems to stand alone.
Veronica Novak, ever-so slightly eccentric at times, played by star Freema Agyeman, is a writer and works at an Art and History library. Agyeman’s portrayal of Veronica is very much a sight to behold, from the over-the-top facial expressions she so effortlessly achieves, it's hard to believe this isn't her true self.
Martin Hutson plays her husband, Michael Novak, who has a sick mother. He’s also managed to cultivate his own business in wholesale. He can be instantly identified as her submissive, completing each and every demand of hers, until the alcohol settles in and his uncouth nature sees the light.
Dinita Gohil dons the role of Annette Raleigh, a polished woman who works in “wealth management”, and doesn’t seem all that happy, and transforms into quite an explosive character.
Alan Raleigh, Annette’s husband, is played by Ariyon Bakare. He is a lawyer, occupied by the incessant ringing of his phone, which is sure to annoy you as well as it did the other three. Of all the characters, he seems to be the most reluctant in handling the issue at hand, his excessive male pride shimmering through as he believes his son has done nothing wrong and doesn’t believe there is anything to change or fix. He does however, become very frank towards the end as he questions the selflessness of human nature.
God of Carnage is an extremely well-written dark comedy, with themes that are still relevant 15 years on. Nicholai la Barrie’s great directing combined with each of the actors' amazing performances, this is a show that’ll be sure to thoroughly please and entertain.
★★★★
God of Carnage runs from the 1st to the 30th of September at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Get tickets here.