“God of Carnage”

Written by: Yasmina… “God of Carnage”

Written by: Yasmina Reza

Directed by: Ted Pappas

Starring: Susan Angelo, Ted Koch, Deirdre Madigan and David Whalen

Now through June 26

Tickets $35.75-$60.75 and $15.75 for students with valid ID

412-316-1600

www.ppt.org

Grade: A

In a Brooklyn livingroom one woman picks up a bunch of tulips and throws them on them on her hosts’ hardwood floor.

it’s part of the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s latest show “God of Carnage” which begins with what seems to be a calm meeting between two couples, Annette (Susan Angelo) and Alan Raleigh (David Whalen) and Veronica (Deirdre Madigan) and Michael Novak (Ted Koch).

The meeting in the Novak’s livingroom concerns the pairs’ sons — the Raleigh boy hit the Novak boy with a stick at the park — and the parents soon begin fighting. It’s during this that Annette angrily throws the blooms onto the floor.

The 2009 Tony Award-winning show, written by Yasmina Reza and directed by Ted Pappas, plays until June 26.

The Raleighs are a powerful business couple and the Novaks provide a contrast as middle-class free spirits. As the story unfolds, original loyalties begin to disintegrate, tulips fly and the adults lose all sense of composure.

There are few entrances and exits, and the play occurs only in the Novak’s livingroom This simplicity  allows the actors to delve further into their characters, as they constantly interact with one another and their surroundings.

The dynamic among the characters throughout the play presents an honest look at reality — with all of the issues bubbling under the surface that sidetrack the characters. Loyalties change depending on the moment, and the couples alternate from being concerned only with the well-being of their sons to forming alliances based on other issues.

With each shift in topic come personal disclosures , sometimes turning the setting into more of a confessional than a living room.

Alan’s attachment to his cell phone and Michael’s fake liberalism leave Annette and Veronica bonding over rum, but that sympathy falls to pieces when the two remember why they’ve met in the first place, and they’re thrust back into their initial dislike for each other.

Some of the moments highlight the gender roles present in the spouses’ relationships. In these moments, the sexes sometimes side with their own. Although the gender issue is subtly woven into the plot and is certainly not itsfocal point, it affords the show an added complexity.

Despite the complexities of the relationships, each actor holds his or her own on the stage and the storyline provides many comedic moments for the audience. Whether it’s with an obscene joke or a witty comment, the cast often sends the audience into laughter.

The show is a fantastic reflection of that fact that people frequently regress to primitive states in environments meant to be tame — even Brooklyn living rooms. The characters become tame savages, fighting over their disagreements with no restraint.

But the play does not offer its characters any sort of resolution. Both the Raleighs and the Novaks continue to argue over the original scenario until the end of the play, even though there are breaks from the original discussion for more personal arguments between the couples.

“God of Carnage” ended with the audience still laughing and nearly a complete standing ovation. The multifaceted issues tainted with a strong sense of humor lead to a very well-done play.