Entertainment EVENT – Live Theater @ Long Beach ICT - God of Carnage

Theater Review:               Entertainment EVENT – Live Theater @ Long Beach ICT           
God of Carnage … A Fascinating, Intense, Witty (All Too True?) Trip Back Through Human Etiquette & Sanity

Review By: Joseph Sirota

caryn desai [sic], steps up boldly and most adeptly to her Artistic Director position of ICT (Official Resident Professional Theatre Company of Long Beach). The 2012 season marks ICT's 27th year, and desai has chosen "Adults Behaving Badly… Unless They Ain’t,” as the tempting theme of this year's lively 5-play series of noteworthy, energetic live theater works. Bad behavior gets off to an explosively(indeed!) funny probing of the human condition, as two smart New York couples represent 21st century parents "sophisticatedly-gone-astray" in handling a meeting about a fight between their young elementary school sons. Playwright, Yasmina Reza's darkly funny, Tony Award-winning God of Carnage cleverly makes it clear that despite education, profession and upper middle-class lifestyles, we're all ever-so close to quickly sliding down the centuries of mankind's development right back into our dear old Neanderthal days, of survival of the fittest, loudest cavemen.

Benjamin(11), the son of a lawyer Dad(Alan) and wealth-exec Mom(Annette) has grabbed a stick and hit Henry(also 11), in the jaw, hard enough for some marks, some bleeding and disarrayed two teeth. The victim's parents Greg(chain-stores owner) and Veronica(art-historian) have invited-cordially(summoned-not-so-cordially), Benjamin the attacker's parents to come over to discuss, constructively an "apology" and proper next steps (depending on Henry's med costs???)  Well, you truly have to see for yourself how the "constructiveness" and  "properness" quickly and intensely turn into differences, of opinion, of values and of any willingness to compromise. Pretty soon even husbands vs. wives anger, husbands vs. husbands anger, and wives vs. wives anger (in all combinations) start to smolder and then break into a fiery expansion that even Smokey The Bear would have trouble bringing under "safe control". The purposely confined set, lighting, sound, costumes, etc help focus the tale on a single room over a brief time, revealing vulnerability. The play's march in intensity and nerve-pinching dialog, builds to so strong a crescendo of any reason/understanding peeling off in layer after layer, it wisely calls for a short overall time, and absolutely no intermissions (lest the entire mood-building need be done all over again. It would be cruel for actors, director, & even the audience to have to climb through intensity from a quiet start over again. I have seen this fast and furious, wickedly wise comedy before and I salute Director desai for guiding the play's dynamite aura with the finest balance & timing yet!

As much as I cherish using my own wording to describe theater/cinema, I can’t resist the short/fine wording that’s become a true “signature” of playwright Yasmina Reza’s Smash-Hit of civilization melting in a N.Y.C. living room. God of Carnage has come to be perfectly summarized as: “a comedy of manners... without the manners!”-voila! The cast must be saluted vigorously for their uncanny ability to take turns being, sane, civil & cooperative, then morphing into wild-eyed, pit-bulls, unleashed. Playing Henry’s victim parents (Leslie Stevens & Greg Derelian) are each superb in trying hard to be good hosts to their "guest guilty couple", as well as understanding parents. But ultimately attacker, Benjamin’s mother and father (Alet Tayler & David Nevell) so equally deliver super performances in portraying impossibly frustrating and annoying adversaries that we see, feel and dismay (in between laughing) that any hopes for cooperating or understanding between the two couples are not going to be happening this living room, so we'd better sit back in our chairs and enjoy the wonderful ride of mankind's human frailty in hoping to rise to god-like observance of living by "The Golden Rule". Compare to 2012 politics on any part of the globe...even any continent?  Maybe playwright Y. Reza  deserves a timely Pulitzer to go with the Tony Award. Oh My!

---God of Carnage rumbles ICT’s lovely stage with Intensifying darkly/funny dialog/quarrels. International City Theatre is in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 Shows: Thur, Fri, Sat @ 8pm & Sunday matinees @ 2pm. Closes: Feb 19. Tkts: $37-$44. Info: call (562)-436-4610 or log on to:  www.InternationalCityTheatre.org