THE GOD OF CARNAGE

(A further review of the KickstArt production, by Maurice Kort)

Kickstart have the well-deserved reputation of presenting superbly produced and directed shows which must be pretty daunting given the old cliché that one is only as good as one's last show. However, given their expertise in their chosen profession, the superb casting, the excellent acting ability of their cast, and a brilliant script by Yazmina Reza, they just cannot fail with their latest offering The God of Carnage.

This distinction even extends to the publicity posters and the programme design (by Shirley Berko). They show a smiling young boy missing two front teeth holding up a sign and is truly inspired, given the premise of the play. It starts with a meeting of the parents of two young boys who had been involved in a fight in their school playground in which the one had hit the other with a stick damaging two of his teeth.

The set, designed by Greg King, once again displays his great talent, and shows the upper class style of the home of Veronica (Clare Mortimer) and her husband Michael (Tim Wells), the parents of the eleven year-old who suffered the injury. The other parents, Annette (Jailoshini Naidoo) and Alan (Iain 'Ewok' Robinson), have been invited over so that this unfortunate situation can be discussed and resolved amicably to everyone's satisfaction. Indeed all niceties are observed to the nth degree and all proceeds very smoothly with much politeness.

That is where the title of the play comes in. The gracious, courteous respect does not continue. Initially all is oh-so-refined and dignified with only very mild disagreements, more intimated than expressed, between the husbands and their wives, not to mention between the two sets of parents but this soon deteriorates. Alan, a lawyer, has constant cellphone interruptions concerning possible problems with the new medication of a pharmaceutical company he is representing.

His obsession with the cellphone and the often-changing siding of the four, either husband and wife against the other couple, the men against their wives, Veronica against Annette or Michael against Alan contribute to the hilarity of the meeting which started out so well.

There are some very unexpected surprises which also add to the hilarity of the meeting. The neuroses, complexes and delusions of the two couples are portrayed superbly by the four actors who are completely believable in their respective roles. Under less adept direction than that of Steven Stead the situations could lead to over-acting and over-dramatisation especially as the rum continues to flow very freely. However, all is superbly controlled and very much in each person’s character. No performance can be singled out as they are all excellent.

Yazmina Reza is a French playwright and this and her previous plays Art and Life x 3 have all been superbly translated by Christopher Hampton, amazingly keeping all the humour, not a simple matter as jokes don't always survive translation. Kickstart also produced Art at the Kwasuka Theatre in 2005 to great acclaim. I look forward to their tackling Life x 3, also a four-hander, some time in the near future.

The God of Carnage can be seen at the newly refurbished and re-designed Seabrooke’s Theatre until May 29 from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 19h30 (Sundays at 15h00). Tickets R90 Tuesdays to Thursdays and R100 Fridays to Sundays booked (unreserved seating) at Computicket. Because of the nature of the play there is an age restriction of PG 14. – Maurice Kort