God of Carnage Pokes Fun at Modern Parenting... With a Stick

By James E. Trainor III; Photo by Shelley Klimes

From Left: Carrie Houchins-Witt,
Jackie McCall, Jeff Haffner, Sean McCall 

Amana - - When their ten-year-old boy is apparently attacked by his playmate, his parents do the only reasonable thing: they call the other parents over to discuss the dispute in a civilized manner. The matter is deeper than it seems, however, and before the conversation that makes up the action of Yasmina Reza's dark comedy God of Carnage (translated by Christopher Hampton) ends, it has traveled from the playground to Darfur and back, and has the potential to destroy the marriages of both couples, and with them, quite possibly, all of what we like to think of as polite society.

The set-up is simple but clever, and it's easy enough to see where we're going as Vernoica (Carrie Houchins-Witt) and Michael (Sean McCall) welcome Alan (Jeff Haffner) and Annette (Jackie McCall) into their home. Houchins-Witt is graceful as the well-meaning but patronizing Veronica, who is trying to facilitate discussion while her disgust at the situation is clearly communicated underneath every twenty-five cent word. Haffner and J. McCall take it in, nod at the right places, share looks, but don't immediately challenge her on her moralistic crusade. She pushes the issue a little too far, however, and won't be satisfied until the other boy is compelled to apologize, an end that Alan is convinced simply isn't realistic.

Veronica and Alan take an immediate dislike to each other, and Haffner is particularly effective in his cool, mocking approach to the passive-aggressive warrior for justice that Houchins-Witt has created. He is friendly enough, and polite (though he insists on dealing with a high-stakes case in front of everyone, instead of excusing himself to take the call). He is charming and composed, and it seems nothing can affect him, though as the action progresses he shows his teeth.

Being somewhat familiar with Reza's work, I expected that I wouldn't like any of these characters as I entered the theatre. What I didn't expect was that I would find them so interesting. Part of the point of the play is that these four are more despicable than their hostile children, and the cast, under the direction of Angie Toomsen, brought a lot of color to what could easily be oversimplified character sketches. Reza's setup is a little too simple, a little too easy (the liberal activist vs. the cynical lawyer), but this production brought life to the characters, making it feel a lot more natural than it reads.

Houchins-Witt has a difficult job, as her character seems the most didactic and artificial of the group. Everyone in the room, including, it seems, the play itself, is against her. An idealist who cannot stand the ugliness of the world, she becomes ugly and vicious herself when things don't go her way. She means well, and doesn't intend to descend to the level of squabbling—"how many parents standing up for their children become infantile themselves?" she asks—but good intentions don't mean much here, and she becomes a screaming mess when she realizes she can't fix the situation. Houchins-Witt's portrayal makes Veronica feel very real, but still hopelessly naive. It would almost feel like Reza is attacking liberalism, if the other characters weren't equally flawed in equally interesting ways.

Veronica's husband, Michael, starts off as a simple man who makes an honest living with his hardware store, but this safe exterior gives way to a gruff and moody man who is desperately unhappy and doesn't like his wife, his children, or their cute cuddly pets (a subplot involves a hamster that Michael set free—or murdered, depending on whose side you take). S. McCall plays this role with a sense of humor, loose and broad, but with a real sense of the inner anger that fuels the character.

J. McCall creates a very interesting character arc in Annette, the docile wife who explodes when she finally tires of listening to her husband's constant phone calls. Her breakdown is extremely effective, done with emotional sensitivity to the character, but also with grace and a sense of humor. Haffner is quite funny and frequently nasty as Alan, who stays significantly quiet for much of the conversation but is precise and harsh when he does let loose.

These actors work very well together, and Toomsen's direction helps the thing mesh. The blocking is dynamic, and the piece clips along at a very energetic pace, with the noise of phones and yelling and drinking and vomiting creating a hectic environment. All the same, it is the nonverbal moments that set up some of the relationships very well. The space itself—Old Creamery's studio theatre—is perfect for a play like this, set as it is in a living room where very serious, very intimate conversations are being had.

The script may be oversimplified, but Reza is dealing with real issues here—helicopter parenting, playground violence, societal hypocrisy—and Toomsen & Co. make this drama feel a lot more real than in does on the page. This is a show of intense drama and a lot of satirical humor; it's definitely worth a watch.

God of Carnage runs through October 7 at Old Creamery's studio stage, 39 38th Ave in Amana. Tickets are $27 ($17.50 for students).