*insert eye roll and sigh combination.* As college students, we are finally escaping the sometimes oppressive and involved rule of parents that we experienced as a child. Do you remember your parents ever inserting themselves into your social life? Like, when you threw sand into little Johnny Bingham’s eye at the neighborhood playground, and your parent interevened and helped the newly blinded Johnny back home to his mother. Or, there’s the time that you hit a kid with a bamboo stick and caused “temporary disfigurement,” and your parents sat you down to discuss the implications.
Loving parents, Annette and Alan and Veronica and Michael, are their kids biggest fans and defenders. They take it upon themselves to serve as mediators, and help defuse the effects of little Benjamin’s act of violence toward Henry at the playground. It becomes obvious in the first 10 minutes that, like all parents, the couples have differing parenting styles and their own flaws.
This Tony award-winning show, written by Yasmina Reza and directed by Tommy Wedge, is a historic show for Midland Center for the Arts. It is the first show that used theater in the round. This simply means that the audience literally surrounds the performing area. The audience peers into a luxurious living room that serves as the meeting space and boxing ring of the show.
“God of Carnage” made me feel as though I saw into the living room of a well-to-do Midland family as they seek to be the best parents for their children. Sometimes this pursuit is misguided as they become increasingly involved in their children’s lives in the most passive aggressive manner possible. Alliances crumble and new alliances form only for them to realize that no one really likes anyone after all and that they must master the “art of coexistence.”
The cast size is small at four performers. With such a small cast, there isn’t room for a weak link and the only issue I had was with Annette. This was understandable because the character doesn’t have much written for her and as a result is a challenge to perform. However, this was a minor issue and I enjoyed the way that these four people made the audience feel like they’re inside someone’s home, watching two couples grapple with revelations of their offspring’s actions.
Another issue I had was with some weird blocking choices as the character sought to leave the living room and often their reentries were awkward.
This was a very successful production of “God of Carnage” and the decision to perform it in a round was a perfect fit for this show.
Due to language content, this show is appropriate for teenagers and above and is a fascinating look at parenting and relationships.
