ARTS& Dining
TH E ATE R God of Carnage: Expect the Unexpected by Barbara Wells
T
wo upper-class couples meet in a trendy Brooklyn apartment to discuss a playground altercation between their 11-year-old sons that took out two of little Henry’s front teeth. Sound predictable? The premise for an “us” versus “them” exploration of conflicting over-involved parents, perhaps one couple demanding restitution and the other committed to a “boys will be boys” position of laissez faire? Not a bit. In Signature Theatre’s Washington-area debut of God of Carnage, the issue of dealing with a child who took a stick to his playmate’s jaw rapidly gives way to a far
more interesting question: How do we navigate the tightrope between portraying the people we think we ought to be and just being the people we really are? Instead of moralizing on the origins of violence or the nature of parental responsibility to raise children who are better than ourselves, this play glories in hypocrisy, duplicity and shifting alliances among four adults tempted but unwilling to break free of their chosen roles. Are women the guardians of morality and drivers of a higher level of civility or just selfish, demanding spouses? Are men defenders of principle and order or thugs who really
respect survival of the strongest and loudest? Maybe neither—or both—in Yasmina Resa’s hyperactive play, which translator Christopher Hampton has easily adapted from settings in Switzerland and England to the United States; Brooklyn, to be exact, but the play resonates with audiences from Broadway to the homes of countless regional theatres nationwide. Even Resa herself seems ambivalent about whether her Tony Award-winning play is the stuff of comedy, but under the deft direction of Joe Calarco (Urinetown, Assassins, and Side Show at Signature), there’s no doubt about the humor to be mined here – and it’s
the best kind, drawn not just from witty remarks but the ridiculous behavior of ordinary people in an ordinary situation. Naomi Jacobson oozes comic potential as Veronica Novak, the outwardly gracious social crusader who usually fights her battles as a writer, decrying atrocities in Darfur from the comfort of her tastefully decorated home. Without ever missing a beat, every muscle of Jacobson’s body amplifies her own pronouncements or reacts to someone else’s – from arched eyebrows to flared nostrils and, ultimately, al-
LEFT: Vanessa Lock (left, as Annette) and Naomi Jacobson (as Veronica) share a laugh and a drink. Photo: Scott Suchman. CENTER: Paul Morella, as Alan Raleigh, can’t seem to get off the phone. Photo: Scott Suchman. RIGHT: Andy Brownstein (Michael Novak) and Naomi Jacobson (Veronica Novak) make a strong alliance. Photo: Scott Suchman. 90 H HillRag | May 2012