Veronica and Michael are hosting a meeting between them (and another married couple) Alan and Annette. Alan and Annette’s son hit Veronica and Michael’s, in the mouth with a stick, knocking out two of his teeth. Veronica has drawn up an agreement, spelling out the details of the incident, and the necessary steps to resolve it. This is all handled very cordially, with tact and without animosity. They have a lovely conversation, there’s tea and torte, everything goes well, until they reach a sticking point. They can’t seem to agree whether the boys should meet so the offending child can apologize, and they can hash it out? Also should the parents be present? Alan repeatedly points out that it’s a waste of time, deliberations will be insincere and besides, they were just doing what boys do.
Every time the four start to say goodbye, some argumentative point pulls them back. Throughout this dialectic between the four, Alan is on the phone with a business colleague, attempting to salvage a legal case that’s going sideways. Gradually things regress. First it’s couple against couple, then men against the women, then man and wife against each other.
Alan makes a short, supposedly offhand observation (I worship the God of Carnage) that we’re all bestial beneath the surface. (It’s interesting that we might have expected that kind of rhetoric from Michael.) Now this is not a new theory. From post-graduate literary classes to sports events to elections: any respect or kindness is a veneer, and brutality a badge of authenticity. As if no one is ever genuinely charitable or tolerant. As the show continues, Veronica and Michael (and Annette and Alan) are screaming disparagements at each other. Perhaps this what they really wanted after all. So much for civility.
Written by Yasmina Reza, God of Carnage is a French satire, that premiered in 2007. Comparisons to Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are inevitable, I think. Two couples dragged (George and Martha, Honey and Nick) into a prolonged night of vicious abuse. One character is so overwhelmed by the ugly turn things have taken, she gets physically ill. Manhood and the lack thereof have a place at the table; women are either insipid or Amazons. Albee’s drama is not without flaws, of course. If handled properly the piece moves energetically, but if not it can really drag. The characters of Nick and Honey exist only to to show George and Martha (and themselves) at their worst. But It’s George and Martha’s story. However savage the older (not old) couple they’re not as shallow or pretentious as the younger couple.
Of course Reza, has her own version of the premise. None of the characters belong to the intelligentsia, and they are all equally matched. It’s not about one couple or the other. It runs at 90 minutes and covers roughly the same ground as Woolf. Changing alliances, the small talk and lurking contempt are the same. The God of Carnage lays out its ideas about behavior and the true nature of humankind. Then tests it. It explores the difference between actual altruism and lip service to an ideology. But even IF we are all snakes underneath, we still have to live together. Even if its about the rightness or wrongness of unbridled aggression, it just isn’t desirable or fulfilling to do nothing else but go for the jugular. In that sense it’s categorically different from Virginia Woolf. Albee is all about descent and redemption. Reza, permission to brawl and regret. It’s funny till it’s not.
In the hands of director Christie Vela the dialogue has a spontaneous, familiar feel to it. When you see a play like this, when the action goes full throttle, you don’t always know where to look. How to keep up. Vela orchestrates this chaotic content, efficiently and effectively. The cast: Natalie Young (Veronica) Mike Schraeder (Alan) Ethan Norris (Michael) Lauren LeBlanc (Annette) is flexible and intrepid. From Young’s Sue Ann Nivens on steroids to Alan’s insufferable, self-absorbed attorney. From Norris’ arrogant troglodyte to Annette’s homophobia, these four have the chops to pull it off without batting an eye.
Theatre Three presents God of Carnage, playing February 1st- March 3rd, 2024. 2688 Laclede Street, Suite 120, Dallas, Texas. 214-871-3300. theatre3dallas.com