Parents go to war in ‘God of Carnage’
Rehearsing scenes out of sequence for the stage story “God of Carnage” is not an easy feat, according to Chicago actress Mandy Walsh, who plays one of the quartet cast of angry parents for a new production of the
2009 Tony Award-winning play running through July 3 at Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City.
Performances are at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
“So much of the dialogue builds and escalates based on previous scenes and exchanges unfolding, so it makes it difficult in the rehearsal process to just jump to a scene and instantly recapture the emotion needed in that moment,” Walsh said.
“The audience is along for the ride the entire time for what’s being revealed between these two sets of parents in a living room where their children and appropriate behavior is the focus.”
Steve Scott, the artistic director for Dunes Summer Theatre, said while planning the season’s stage programming, he knew he wanted Susan Padveen, associate professor and interim chair of the Theatre Department at Columbia College Chicago, to direct the play run.
“This is a play that’s even timelier now than when it was written and Susan has added her own vision,” Scott said.
“Our audiences will notice that Susan has the play setting as a northern suburb of Chicago, so you hear familiar references to Highland Park and other areas.”
Padveen directed “Other
Desert Cities” in 2019 at Dunes Summer Theatre.
Playwright Yasmina Reza’s triple Tony Award-winning “God of Carnage” enjoyed a critically praised run at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in April 2011, as translated by Christopher Hampton for the previous Broadway accolades.
“God of Carnage” was originally born before European audiences in December 2006 in Zurich, prior to its successful London opening in March 2008, which was where Scott first found himself on the edge of his seat in the audience.
By March 2009, it had a six-month run in New York on Broadway introducing American audiences to the plot which is inspired by a true story, centering around two contrasted parenting couples: Michael and Veronica Novak and Alan and Annette Raleigh. The latter couple are uneasy about how to interpret the concerns being leveled against their son Benjamin.
The Novaks are the parents of Henry, the “playground victim,” whose teeth have been knocked loose.
Cast opposite of Walsh, playing fussy mother Veronica, is Glenn Thompson, as eager-to-accommodate husband Michael. Daniel Shtivelberg plays attorney father Alan, who’s often more concerned with his ringing cellphone than countering allegations about his son’s behavior, while enduring his status wary wife Annette, played by Christie Coran.
Actor Ralph Fiennes starred in the original London cast as dad Alan, while on Broadway, Jeff Daniels and Jimmy Smits were among actors in the role opposite Hope Davis, Annie Potts and Lucy Liu all having a turn playing wife Annette.
Actor James Gandolfini originated the role of dad Michael for the New York run, with Daniels later switching over to the role when actor Dylan Baker took over for him as Alan. Actresses Marcia Gay Harden and Christine Lahti are among notable names who played Veronica.
“I’ve never seen a stage production of ‘God of Carnage,’ prior to be cast for this mother role,” Walsh said.
“But before we started rehearsals, I did watch the film version to explore the story and characters.”
Roman Polanski directed the 2011 feature film version, released under the shortened name “Carnage,” with a few character name changes as well and a who’s who cast starring Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet as parents Alan and Nancy, and John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster as Michael and Penelope.
“This play is funny, smart and perceptive and has a serious message underneath,” Scott said.
“Everything takes place in a living room in real time in about 70 minutes, all in one act, without any intermission. Anyone who has ever been a child or ever been a parent can relate to what’s happening on that stage.”