Norwalk Residents Jessie Gilbert and Eileen Lawless Shine in DAC Comedy

Norwalk’s Jessie Gilbert and Eileen Lawless shine in their roles in Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage at the Darien Arts Center. Their flawless performances are convincingly real as mothers and wives caught up in a conflict that unfolds in this ‘comedy of manners without the manners’. The show, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play, is being performed at the DAC Weatherstone Studio for a 3-weekend run in November, starting on Friday, November 7.

The play unfolds, when two couples meet in one couple’s upscale Brooklyn apartment to discuss a fight between their 11-year old-sons, a conflict leaving one boy with two broken teeth. Their attempt to reach closure with the incident soon devolves into chaos. Christopher Isherwood of The New York Times wrote, “The bell rings. Pleasant chatter begins. Coffee and pastry are served. But the gentility soon gives way to the hurling of insults ... physical assault, wanton destruction of a cellphone, rampaging battery by tulips and other assorted forms of bad behavior.” In the DAC Stage production, Larry Reina, Gary Betsworth, and Norwalk residents Gilbert and Lawless expertly play the shifting alliances among the couples under the experienced direction of Mark Graham.

Gilbert has performed in a wide variety of roles with many community theaters including Curtain Call, Town Players of New Canaan and Westport Community Theatre. Most recently she has been in The Clean House at the Ridgefield Theatre Barn, which won the 2014 OnStage Critics Award for best play. Despite her extensive experience, Gilbert is in awe of the superb cast, crew and director of God of Carnage, “There is nothing better than being in a play with such strong actors. Not only do they make it so much more interesting and fun, but they bring out my best as an actress.” When not practicing her lines, Jessie practices trusts and estates law at Cummings & Lockwood in Greenwich, and karate, in which she has a black belt.

Lawless is a long-time resident of Norwalk, CT. She has performed in regional theater and Off Broadway in NY and has worked on TV’s Law and Order, the feature film Harvest shot in CT in 2010 and has been featured in numerous commercials and voice-overs. Local audiences know her from Stamford Theater Works where she played the title character in Betty the Yeti and Joan in Murder in Green Meadows. At Fairfield Universities’ Quick Center she performed in An Evening of Tennessee Williams One Acts. She is a regular performer in Play with Your Food lunchtime reading series. As a longtime member of the Theater Artists Workshop here in CT, Eileen has performed in their annual classic reading series and playwrights festivals. She has also helped create a drama program at a local high school collaborating with professional groups such as Westport Country Playhouse and Shakespeare on the Sound. She works as a nurse and health coach at Yale New Haven Health System.

God of Carnage, by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, is being performed at the Darien Arts Center Weatherstone Studio, located at 2 Renshaw Road, behind Darien Town Hall. Performances are at 8 pm on November 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 with matinees at 2 pm on November 9 and 16. Tickets can be purchased at darienarts.org or by calling the box office at 203-655-5414.

Photo credit: Jeffrey Wyant.

Founded in 1975, the Darien Arts Center (DAC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing visual and performing arts programs and events for the community. The DAC offers educational programs in Dance, Visual Arts, Music & Theatre, & special events & live theatre performances by DAC Stage. Private donations, grants, tuition fees & ticket sales fund the DAC, which is located at 2 Renshaw Road, behind the Town Hall. For further information, call (203) 655-8683 or visit darienarts.org.