Bad manners abound in Goodman's 'Carnage'
“God of Carnage” — the compelling title of Yasmina Reza's fierce little domestic farce — embodies a kind of elegant menace. It certainly sounds more compelling than a title like, “Adults Behaving Badly,” which would be a less impressive but more descriptive alternative for this Tony Award-winning comedy of bad manners (and worse marriages) in a blistering Chicago-area premiere at Goodman Theatre.
The upper-middle class, middle-aged quartet who make up this “Carnage” indulge in all manner of childish behavior, including name-calling, hitting, deliberate destructiveness and petulance over the course of director Rick Snyder's very funny, impeccably timed, expertly acted production.
The action unfolds on designer Takeshi Kata's stylish but frosty Brooklyn apartment set, where expansive walls and the oversized, light-filled windows are bare, and where the only splash of color comes from vases of brightly-colored tulips — an unpretentious flower whose abundance here suggests nothing but pretension. It's the home of writer Veronica (Mary Beth Fisher, spot on as an insufferable moralizer who sugarcoats her condescension) and her wholesaler husband, Michael (played by Keith Kupferer, fluent in the “deese,” “dem,” “dose” urban dialect). The duo have invited corporate attorney Alan (the callously frank David Pasquesi, wearing scorn like a second skin) and his increasingly queasy, uneasy wife, Annette (a subtly intuitive Beth Lacke), over to discuss a recent playground fracas involving their school-age sons. The fight ended when Alan and Annette's boy wacked Veronica and Michael's boy in the mouth with a stick, knocking out two of his teeth.
While Annette apologizes for her son's behavior, Alan repeatedly disengages from the conversation to take calls from his client, a pharmaceutical company whose wonder drug has some serious and previously unreported side effects. Meanwhile Veronica, an Africa expert who's writing a book on Darfur, and the plain-spoken, casually cruel Michael, try to wrangle an apology from guests whose parenting style differs markedly from their own.
A tense but mannerly conversation unfolds between these upper-middle-class sophisticates — all sporting shades of gray, save for Alan who is entirely in black and white. But fueled by copious amounts of alcohol, the mood deteriorates from civil to savage thanks to the inflated egos and petty self interest of the participants.
Yet the laughs come fast and often over the course of Snyder's breakneck, 75-minute show as already fragile spousal alliances fracture and reform, leaving husbands squaring off against wives and women squaring off against men until all are left standing soiled (metaphorically speaking) and alone. All of which is reflected in the savvy staging by Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Snyder. Snyder, who directed Steppenwolf's revival of Reza's “Art” in 2009, has proved himself a master at mining the intricacies of interpersonal relationships. The rolling waves of laughter opening night at the Goodman confirm a flair for physical comedy.
While the play invites comparisons to “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” Reza's “Carnage” isn't nearly as incisive an examination of marital dysfunction and co-dependence as Edward Albee's. Still, it makes for a deliciously, viciously entertaining piece of theater.
<b>“God of Carnage”</b>
<b>Three stars</b>
<b>Location:</b> Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org
<b>Showtimes:</b> 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday through April 17. Also 7:30 p.m. March 29; no 2 p.m. show March 19 or April 6; no 8 p.m. show April 3 or 17
<b>Running time:</b> About 75 minutes, no intermission
<b>Tickets:</b> $ 25- $ 78
<b>Parking:</b> Paid lots nearby; $19 with theater validation at the Government Center Self Park at the southeast corner of Clark and Lake streets
<b>Rating:</b> For adults. Contains adult content and profanity; not for the squeamish.