Music Theatre of Connecticut MainStage, Fairfield County's award-winning professional theatre company, continues its 2013/2014 Season with the Tony Award winning comedy "God of Carnage" by
Yasmina Reza, translated by
Christopher Hampton. Performances are January 31 - February 16, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees Saturdays at 4pm and Sundays at 2pm, at MTC MainStage
Studio Theatre, 246 Post Road East (Coloni
Al Green/Lower Level) in downtown Westport, CT. Tickets range from $25-$45 ($5 discount for seniors/students) and are available by calling
203.454.3883 or visiting
www.musictheatreofct.com
"God of Carnage" is a comedy of manners... without the manners. Two married couples meet to sort out a playground fight between their sons. At first, niceties are observed but as the evening progresses and the rum flows, the gloves come off and the night becomes a side-splitting free-for-all. Written by
Yasmina Reza, the play garnered three 2009 Tony Awards including Best Play of the Season. It is also remembered as the last Broadway appearance of revered actor
James Gandolfini.
MTC's professional Equity cast includes
Marty Bongfeldt of Danbury who previously appeared in the MTC productions of "Cabaret" and "Doubt," as well as "Peter Pan" opposite
Cathy Rigby and "Anything Goes" opposite
Van Johnson; John Flaherty of Norwalk who appeared in the MTC productions of "Master Class" and "Ancestral Voices," as well as "A Christmas Carol" at Ford's Theatre and "The Philadelphia Story" at Hartford Stage; Cynthia Hannah of Wilton who previously appeared in the MTC production of "Almost, Maine". Her regional credits include roles at
Westport Country Playhouse, Long Wharf as well as TV's "The Guiding Light" and "All My Children."
Jim Schilling of Bridgeport rounds out the cast, and is the co-founder and managing director of MTC where he has appeared in "Almost, Maine" and "Doubt". Off-Broadway and stock credits include "Hamlet" opposite
Tony Roberts, "Upper Broadway" opposite
Nanette Fabray, and as
Sean Penn's double in the film "Dead Man Walking."
"God of Carnage" is directed by
Mark Torres of Norwalk, who is making his MTC directoral debut. Mark holds an MFA from Temple University's Professional Actor Training Program, and has worked on Broadway and in regional theatre. He was Artistic Director of Moving Target Theatre in Dallas and Producing Artistic Director of Penobscot Theatre in Bangor, Maine. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with MTC," says Torres, "a company whose standards of production and commitment to arts education I really admire. 'God of Carnage' is an example of the kind of theatrical alchemy that comes along so rarely: a delight for the artists who are working on it and an entertaining and enlivening journey for the audience. It is breathtakingly audacious writing in that the playwright takes a very simple premise and expands on it exponentially until we reach the outer limits of hilarity and a confrontation with the often absurd lengths that humans can take a conflict among themselves."
The design team for "God of Carnage" includes set design by
David Heuvelman, lighting design by
Michael Megliola, and costumes designed by Diane Vanderkroef. The production is stage managed by Jennifer Devine.
MTC is proud to partner again this season with Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Kitchen and Bar of Westport, offering a special discount to "God of Carnage" ticket holders. See the MTC website for details. Each performance is followed by a wine and cheese reception where the audience is invited to meet the actors and production team.
The 2013/2014 MTC MainStage Season continues with the world's longest-running musical "The Fantasticks," running April 11 - May 4. Single tickets are now on sale by calling
203.454.3883 or online at
www.musictheatreofct.com.
