Iain Batchelor, Jordyn Moone and Sarah Rome Guerra share a quiet moment in Zoetic Stage’s well-named comedy-drama Gcd of Carnage (Photos by Morgan Sophia Photography)
By Oline Cogdill
Civility is stomped on; adults act like children; selfishness and image override humanity and loyalties are forged and dissipated in the uproariously funny, deeply insightful God of Carnage, being presented through Nov. 22 by Zoetic Stage in Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center in Miami.
Stuart Meltzer precisely and crisply directs this comedy-drama—mostly comedy—that is an outstanding choice for Zoetic Stage’s 17th season, and should be an indication of the high standards audiences can expect of the coming months from Zoetic, which is part of the Arsht’s Theater Up Close series.
Meltzer, also Zoetic’s Founding Artistic Director, unpacks much action, emotion, laughs and thoughtfulness in the 90-minute God of Carnage, which won the 2009 Tony Award. Since its Broadway run, God of Carnage has become a popular choice for regional theaters. Zoetic’s presentation is the sixth time it has been been mounted in South Florida since 1986 at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater. But Meltzer’s vision eclipses all those others as he finds humor and pathos not explored before.
God of Carnage revolves around two couples—Alan and Annette Raleigh and Michael and Veronica Novak—who have gathered in the Novaks’ upscale Brooklyn home to discuss a recent incident in which their 11-year-old sons got into a fight on the playground. As a result, the Raleighs’ boy struck the Novaks’ child with a stick, knocking out two teeth.
Neither set of parents is happy about this, certainly not the Novaks who are worried their boy is in pain and will be “disfigured.” Nor are the Raleighs—well, actually we are not quite sure what they feel except perhaps embarrassed. Well, maybe.
At first, the Novaks seem intent on being good hosts, offering coffee and clafoutis though it seems they just like saying the name of this French dessert. They want to decide what, as parents, they should do.
Veronica (Sarah Rome Guerra) is writing a “statement” about the incident, agreeing to change “armed with a stick,” to “furnished with a stick.” What she plans to do with the statement is never clear; but she is a writer, working on a book about “the Darfur tragedy” in Africa, which she frequently mentions.
The discussion barely goes more than a few minutes before Alan (Iain Batchelor), a volatile lawyer given to rants, rages and outbursts, gets another call on the cell phone seemingly attached to his ear. At first, Annette (Jordyn Moone), who’s in wealth management, is quiet until she begins to erupt—literally—in a couple of different ways.
Michael (Justin Packard), a wholesaler, starts as more of an observer—“clafoutis, anyone”?—until he isn’t. A horrible situation involving a pet puts a different shade on who Michael is. Even the no-holds-barred Alan is shocked
The conversations soon implode and each parent becomes a warrior in their own way. They become more intent on preserving their own image than what to do about their children. The parents wonder how this could have happened, where their boys could have learned such behavior.
Sara Rome Guerra and Justin Packard
Oh, there’s no doubt how this fight happened, once we spend time with these parents.
Naturally, parents should take playground fights seriously as current events have shown us that any argument can escalate. But the focus in God of Carnage soon goes to the parents with the boys becoming more like props for the adults’ grievances.
And yes, amid all this angst, God of Carnage is quite funny.
The four roles are showy, in their own way, with Meltzer having assembled a superb cast, each of whom makes the most of their characters’ nuances. Each has moments to shine. Audiences won’t know who to watch at any given moment.
God of Carnage has been called “a play of manners,” and it seems like such a quintessential American story. But this is a universal story, made even more true that it was written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and translated into English by translator Christopher Hampton. Reza also wrote Art, which won the 1998 Tony Award.
God of Carnage also has a vital fifth character—the beautiful set design by Michael McKeever, a co-founder of Zoetic. The Novaks’ light-filled living room with subtle colors is all artfully arranged with many priceless art books (oh, what happens to those poor art books), a Chihuly-like exploding nova chandelier, Buddha heads strategically placed, a mantle with just the right number of objects.
The Novaks’ living room gives the allusion of a place of Zen, of calm, of the sublime.
It is not.
It is a battleground, with frequent shouting, personal space invaded and of projectile vomiting. Two sofas are placed just-so as if opposing corners of a boxing ring. Here, image is everything. It doesn’t seem a place welcoming to children. I’ve never known any family, no matter how neat, whose children’s things didn’t sometimes migrate to the entire house.
The set perfectly reflects the story and is enhanced by Becky Montero’s lighting, Debbie Richardson’s costumes; Bailey Hacker’s sound; Nicole Quintana’s props and set dressing. Kudos also to Jeni Hacker as intimacy director and Vanessa Santiago, resident stage manager.
God of Carnage, produced by Zoetic Stage and the Arsht Center, runs through No. 22 at the Carnival Studio Theatre at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Times 7:30 Wednesday-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Running time 90 minutes without intermission. Tickets $66.69 to $72.54 at Arshtcenter.org or 305-949-6722 or tickets@arshtcenter.org.
Zoetic Stage – God of Carnage Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography
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