Review: OLIVER at Desert Theatricals

The title God of Carnage does not necessarily suggest comedy. Since I and those attending the Desert Ensemble Theatre production at the Palm Sprngs Cultural Center found ourselves laughing at the satiric humor in author Yasmine Reza’s dive into the exigencies of communication, the play conforms to the genre of dark comedy. Giving credit where due, that humor was brilliantly delivered by an outstanding cast.

At rise, we see two sets of parents who have come together to discuss a fight between their pubescent sons, whom we do not meet in this production.  (The Broadway cast included the boys.)   Bruno, son of Annette (Yo Younger) and Alan (David Youse), refuses to allow Ferdinand, son of Veronica (Lizzie Sschmelling) and Michael (John Corr), to join his gang. Violence ensues. Angered by the rejection, Ferdinand bits Bruno in the face with a stick, knocking out two of his tormentor’s teeth. Thus, two apparently civilized couple meet. Watching their descent into mayhem was captivating. Revealing more would be a spoiler. 

Those familiar with the relatively small performing space at the Cultural Center can appreciate the creativity of director Deborah Harmon and set designer Thomas L. Valach to accommodate the a three-seat couch, two wide chairs, a large coffee table, an upstage table, a back wall, and four people.  How fortunate Harmon was to work with such a marvelous cast. Her skill at eliciting distinctive characters proves she is an actor’s director. Of course, Harmon is a gifted actor herself. She moved them around that cramped stage so well that the space itself expanded.

Back to the cast.  Reza’s characters are not warm and likeable. However, the talent and experience of Younger, Youse, Schmelling, and Corr humanizes them. Though we never meet the offender Bruno, Yo Younger’s almost-detached depiction of her child helps us understand how his disappointment drives him to violence. Bruno’s work-obsessed father Alan (Youse) spends most of his time on the phone, working on a business problem. Although the victim, Ferdinand, isn’t interested in a further confrontation, his parents are. Though Schmelling’s Veronica is hardly subtle about her feelings toward her son’s attacker, her controlled, painfully gradual release of those feelings devolves into…well, isn’t that a mother’s prerogative? And how does the dwindling support of her self-involved husband Michael (Corr) affect her?

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