Review: GOD OF CARNAGE at Unhinged Productions At Hanover Little Theatre

Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage peels back the layers of forced civility, conventions of politeness, and good intentions to illuminate humanity’s constant struggle against baser instincts. This 2009 Tony Award winning play was described by the New York Times as “a study in the tension between civilized surface and savage instinct.” As two sets of parents come together to settle an incident between their children, attempts to approach the situation rationally, diplomatically, and civilly quickly devolve into pillow-throwing, nausea-inducing, insult-hurling shouting matches. It’s men against women, women against men, wives against husbands, couple against couple. This is the perfect script for Unhinged Productions, and this reviewer had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at one of their rehearsals. God of Carnage opens on June 25th and runs one weekend only under the direction of Mark C. Franceschini with stage manager Morgan Fleeger and producer Jeb Beard.

The set and props include only what’s necessary to the storyline and to give the audience an immediate sense of the image the Novak’s present to the world. The pre-show music is brilliantly chosen to put the audience in the mood for the chaos that’s about to unfold. One of this reviewer’s favorite technical elements of this production is the very beginning, where the audience sees Michael and Veronica Novak cordially welcoming Alan and Annette Raleigh into their home while hearing the sound of a fight announcer playing over the action.

The cast features Jessy Ringquist as Alan Raleigh, Erin DiNello as Annette Raleight, Michael Baker as Michael Novak, and Lindsey Ringquist as Veronica Novak. The cast does a great job of starting the play with just the right amount of tension to allow room for it to grow. Their voices are cordial while they are clearly guarded in posture and expression. As things devolve, the actors match one another well in escalating their voices, emotions, and movements. Audiences are sure to find their childish fight and chase scenes thoroughly entertaining.

Jessy Ringquist, whose character spends half of his time on the phone, portrays Alan with a detached stoicism that contrasts wonderfully with the Novak’s passion and his wife’s nervous energy. It is not easy to make phone conversations feel real and natural when there isn’t actually someone on the other end, but Jessy Ringquist pulls it off. DiNello has fantastic facial expressions, which often betray Annette’s true feelings even as she tries to keep up appearances. As the tensions rise, DiNello really hits her stride, matching Lindsey Ringquist’s energy—when the women team up against the men, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Michael Baker takes on one of the more difficult roles in the show, as the character of Michael is the most conciliatory and wishy washy of the bunch until the end when he decides to finally say what he really thinks. Baker’s gait and gestures change to match Michael’s shift from peacemaker to blunt cynic. Lindsey Ringquist is stellar in her role as Veronica. Right from the beginning, she sets the tone and energy of the scene with flawless timing, emotion, and line delivery.

God of Carnage is a delightfully unhinged exploration of human nature and social conventions. The team at Unhinged Productions brings this show to life at Hanover Little Theatre in a performance that is simultaneously funny, unsettling, and may leave the audience wondering what the heck just happened, but in a good way. Visit https://ci.ovationtix.com/35738 to get your tickets for this one weekend performance before it’s too late!