Coming Soon: God of Carnage (Players of Utica)

Ambivalent parents are some of my favorite people. Parenthood is one of those great Hallmark whitewashes – you’re supposed to love your kids more than life, support them no matter what they do, and gently but firmly correct them when they stray. You’ve seen social media reposts upon reposts, “If I only had one breath I’d use it to tell my children how much I love them,” and blah blah blah. When life doesn’t match the bromides, some feel guilty. Modern American society is gripped by a “Cult of the Child,” with assorted devotions and mandatory sacrifices required to maintain good standing. A recent book is titled, All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. I love that title – it comes from an honest, clever, ambivalent parent.

Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage is a comedy about ambivalent parents. It’s not a sitcom (there’s only one gag), but a comedy of manners that blows up the Cult of the Child. The taboo it tackles – parental (dis)honesty – is perhaps too raw to consider any other way. The action takes place as two couples meet to discuss a playground altercation between their eleven-year-old boys. What begins with good parental intentions devolves into an evening of brawls, mostly (but not entirely) verbal.

I’ll be playing Alan, who kicks off the brawling with this delicious line: “Madam, our son is a savage.” I’ll be reunited with Barbara Pratt as Annette; we played together in The God Game last October. Adam Kaczor, fresh off Blithe Spirit last month, will be Michael, whose easygoing social veneer gradually peels to reveal something else (if you guessed “eleven-year-old boy,” you’re on the right track.) Tara Golson, new to the Central NY stage by way of Los Angeles, will play Veronica. We read the play together for the first time last night, and you’re going to want to see this group of actors. Marilee Ensign directs (you’ve seen her onstage at Players in Company, and she directed A Delicate Balance there in 2013.)

God of Carnage (“A Comedy of Manners Without the Manners”) will be at Players of Utica, April 17-19 and 23-26, 2015. Details and tickets at http://www.playersofutica.org.

Hear this piece in Podcast Episode #8

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Paul on March 11, 2015 at 10:51 am

Sounds like a great premise for a play!

Over the past month, my wife and I have become smitten with the TV show “The Slap”. On the off-chance you are unfamiliar: In the pilot, there is an extended family cookout. At one point, a 5-year-old begins to act out. Dangerously so. And a hot-headed uncle responds by cuffing him across the face. All the subsequent episodes deal with the ongoing legal and family fallout.

I’ve read that it is a clone of a British show. And it seems to be getting panned. But we are taken by the general premise. I liken the show’s initial incident to breaking the rack at the beginning of a pool game. With all the balls/variables careening – seemingly chaotically – every which way. I consider it a must-see for any amateur psychologist. 🙂

Since moving away from Central New York, we have lived in 2 locales. Both have dog parks. We frequent them. When our boys were younger, we also used to frequent playgrounds. And it’s my firsthand experience/observation that people pay closer attention to their dogs… than their kids. 🙂
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  Chris Bord on March 11, 2015 at 11:42 am
  
  It is a great premise! The Slap sounds interesting Paul – I haven’t seen it yet. I wonder why people pay closer attention to their dogs than to their kids? I suspect you’re right. Maybe because dogs seem more unpredictable, or less civilized? In God of Carnage, the conversation devolves to the level of savage dogs. (UPDATE: I just walked my own dogs. Based on the quantity of shit on the sidewalks, people don’t pay much attention to their dogs, either. Or if they do, they don’t care if others are disgusted.)

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