BroadwayWorld: GOD OF CARNAGE

Keegan Theatre’s Feisty GOD OF CARNAGE

A child injures another in a playground confrontation. The parents of each meet to discuss. It’s a parenting moment so universal that the familiar premise in Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage was originally written in French and first presented in London. It was a Tony-winner on Broadway a decade ago in a production with James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden. And a new production at Keegan Theatre, also from the Christopher Hampton translation, is a worthy endeavor as well.

Director Shirley Serotsky works with an agreeably diverse cast that seems for its part post-racial despite holding on to their other various shortcomings. These lead to various outbursts, one so surprisingly spectacular it dominates a full third of the action. It all remains engaging thanks to the strength of the cast, particularly from the women. … Serotsky keeps things moving and well balanced on stage. It never gets tiresome to watch. That is thanks in part from artful placement of the characters on the smart set design by Matthew J. Keenan that subtly comments on the fractures in the room.

READ THE FULL REVIEW