BWW Reviews: Arena Players Repertory Theaters' GOD OF CARNAGE - Nothing Short of Commendable

The cast is comprised of Bertrand Emmett (Allen), Stacey A. Wallace (Annette), Linda Ramzell (Veronica), and Michael Lang (Michael). Allen is a lawyer married to Annette who is in "wealth management" (her husbands' wealth, that is). Michael is in the wholesale business married to Veronica who is writing a book about Dafur.

The story starts in the apartment with Allen & Annette and Veronica & Michael discussing a fight their sons had. The intention was to meet in a perfectly civilizEd Manner, but the evening quickly changes and chaos ensues. Between the couples arguing, nit picking each others' habits, and Allen constantly on his cell phone, nothing is resolved.

What you leave realzing is that sometimes the adults are worse than kids. Each of the couples were arguing at each other, the women against the men, each individually fighting one another. This was all for petty stuff (like Allens' nickname for Annette) forgetting the main reason they were meeting.

The shows structure - one act play - is highly effective in drawing the audience in and keeping them engaged, as the story unfolds believeably in real time. The realness of their frustration was well portrayed by everyone. 

I understand that this was suppose to be a comedy, but I began to wonder if this was a comedy or drama at many points. There were some points where it was comedic. For example, when Veronica and Michael were impersonating Allen and Anette was hilarious. However, the majority of the time the show came off as serious. Either way, it was effective and a very relatable story.

If you haven't seen "God Of Carnage", Arena's production is a commendable portrayal. I haven't seen the show prior to this and this company does this show justice.

 

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