By Michael Buzzelli
“Civilization is just a thin veneer. Scratch it, and you’ll find the animals underneath.”
– Yasmina Reza (Translated by Christopher Hampton)
When a violent incident occurs in a schoolyard, the parent’s step in to mitigate the issue with shocking and hilarious results in Yasmina Reza’s pitch-black comedy, “God of Carnage.”
Veronica (Daina Michelle Griffith) and her husband Michael (Patrick Jordan) have invited the Raliegh’s, Alan (David Whalen) and Annette (Gayle Pazerski), AKA Woof Woof, over to settle the dispute between their boys. They have differences of opinion on what went down in that schoolyard.
To say “an argument breaks out, and things escalate quickly” would be the world’s biggest understatement.
The play satirizes modern civility, our attachment to our cell phones, and our attachment to all of our material objects. Actually, no subject is off limits in “God of Carnage.” There is a commentary on art, culture, food, alcohol, slavery and, even, oddly enough, genocide in Darfur.
The Novak’s aren’t always a united front against the Raleigh’s. The parents often change allegiances with one another, a twisting Rubik’s Cube of alliances form; Husband against wife. Women against men. Men against each other. Every possible iteration.
Their worst night of their lives is possibly the audience’s best.
This play only works when all four actors are able to commit to the material and deliver superb performances, and this cast nails every single line and gesture.
Griffith is at her finest here. She doesn’t just commit to the bit; she attacks the material with gusto and ferocity. She is marvelous playing the complexities of Veronica Novak.
Jordan exudes charisma as a complicated husband, torn between machismo and the model of the modern man. When Michael tries to deescalate the situation, he infuriates Veronica. He is emasculated in one moment and empowered in the next, but Jordan pulls it off effortlessly, realistically.
Whalen plays a savage in a suit, a shark of a Big Pharma lawyer swimming toward his next victim. This shark is also broken, especially when he loses his most powerful tool, his precious cell phone. Suddenly, he’s Thor without his hammer, turning into the lame Dr. Donald Blake (the deep cut comic nerd reference won’t be for everyone, but Spider-Man is name-checked in this play).
Pazerski gives a masterful performance as well. Her character, Annette, seems like the meekest member of the querulous quartet, but gains more and more strength as the play moves forward.
The “retired” Tony Ferrieri (no one works as hard as this retiree) creates a sumptuous urban set, a stark monochromatic and stylish set, beautifully enhanced by Andrew David Ostrowski’s lighting design.
Side note: This reviewer has often commented he would like to live inside a Tony Ferrieri set, particularly this production’s set and/or City Theatre’s production of Molly Smith Meltzer’s “Elemeno Pea.”
No spoilers for those who have never seen the show but are some crafty special effects by Tolin FX.
Director Melissa Martin takes the comedy and dials it up to eleven. The tone, nearly impossible to grasp as it goes from biting wit to pratfall, would be challenging for any director, but not Martin. This reviewer has seen other productions of this show, but none have been as laugh-out-loud funny as this fantastic foursome in the Bingo O’Malley Theater.
The show runs a brisk 75 minutes with no intermission, and, frankly, you will either be glued to your seat or rolling in the aisles.
This barebones show is sure to sell out quickly. Pray for seats, your god awaits.
-MB
“God of Carnage” runs until November 23 at the Bingo O’Malley Theater at barebones theater black box theater, 1211 Braddock Avenue, Braddock, PA 15104. For tickets and additional information, click here.
