A play in which textbook marriages turn sour and common courtesy rules lose their bearings, God of Carnage reveals the comical woes and quandaries of family and married life.
Seated awkwardly on the sofa, four parents discuss the wording of a report regarding an incident that resulted in the loss of two teeth. Eventually, it becomes clear that the couples are discussing the solution to a playground altercation between their 12-year-old sons.
Le Dieu du carnage, originally written by Yasmina Reza, has graced the stages of Broadway numerous times, and this production at Krudttønden is an absolute delight as the performers show us the true meaning of carnage.
Egocentric lawyer Alex (Adam Brix) and Annette (Sira Stampe), who works in "wealth management”, receive the hospitality of exotic and cultured housewife Veronica (Katrin Weisser) and Michael (Ian Burns), a simple man involved in the sale of DIY goods.
A domestic bloodbath is an understatement to describe the result as the aforementioned incident between the children is discussed by their parents. You’ll feel an enormous sense of empathy and shift uncomfortably in your seat as dry smiles mask bounds of aggression and remarks are uttered through gritted teeth, give new meaning to the saying: 'You could cut the tension with a knife'.
Polite conversation over coffee and clafoutis slowly turns into complete chaos as facades come crashing down. At one point Michael reminds his wife Veronica to maintain a sense of humour, to which she promptly replies: “I don’t have a sense of humour, and I have no interest in acquiring one."
Replenished glasses of rum and the incessant interruption of Alex’s loaded phone conversations lubricate the painfully restrained exchange to the point it has turned into a screaming mess of misogynistic, homophobic and racial slurs, as insults are hurled across the room, along with a variety of household items.
The fragile dynamics of the relationships slowly unfold, as alliances form, break and reform into new partnerships. Blood, sweat and tears, and the occasional call from a mother-in-law, make the production an unforgettable one.
God Of Carnage
Krudttønden
February 21
