God Of Carnage (The SOB Revisit) - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York, New York
***1/2 (out of ****)Late yesterday,
it was announced that the closing for
Yazmina Reza's
God Of Carnage -- last year's Tony Award-winning Best Play -- would be advanced to June 6.
What a pity, especially now that the show is finally in about the best shape I've ever seen it, and that includes performances on both sides of the Atlantic.
With original London cast member
Janet McTeer taking on the role of Vernonica, plus
Jeff Daniels now portraying Michael -- which honestly is much better suited to his talent -- the riotous play is even funnier and more fierce than ever. Topping it off in losing her lunch is
Lucy Liu alongside
Dylan Baker as her smarmy attorney spouse.
My only quibble with the Broadway production is a seemingly tiny change en route from the West End to the Great White Way. I never had any real issue with the comedy's setting being altered from Paris to New York, which was the biggest change between the two productions, along with the characters' names being tweaked accordingly.
But when I first saw
God Of Carnage in London two years ago, there was a line there that struck me to the point I even wrote about it in my initial
SOB Review there. Janet McTeer's character essentially shouted at one key point, "We're all fundamentally uncouth." The line and its delivery gripped me. It brilliantly exposed the incivility of this and every other conflict in our modern world.
When
I first saw the show on Broadway last year, I was waiting for, yet never heard, that remarkably transformative line. Neither did I hear it when I returned to see it with its current cast. I was left puzzled. Had I actually remembered the London incarnation incorrectly?
Since McTeer would certainly know, I decided to visit the stage door and pose the question to her directly to see if my recollection was just plain wrong. She told me that the line was replaced with "we're all f***ing neanderthals" for American audiences. Was I ever dismayed, particularly since the line had worked so well in London. Guess it just shows to go you what the
director, the playwright and the
translator must
really think of their American audiences -- we're apparently so uncouth that we can't even understand the meaning of the word.
Oh well. Irrespective of that nit, my third time with the show was the charm. And Janet McTeer? Well, she's just plain charming.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: Broadway, Dylan Baker, God Of Carnage, Janet McTeer, Jeff Daniels, Lucy Liu, Matthew Warchus, Play, The SOB Revisit, Yasmina Reza
God Of Carnage (The SOB Revisit) - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York, New York
*** (out of ****)Consider this my visceral tribute to
Yasmina Reza's exceptionally brilliant writing that I must now look back on my
SOB Review of the 2008 London mounting of her
God Of Carnage and revise my overall rating to three and a half stars. Credit the absolute, blissful perfection in the performances from its four stars,
Ralph Fiennes,
Tamsin Greig,
Janet McTeer and
Ken Stott.
By finally taking in the Broadway mounting of
God Of Carnage with a New York-centric translation from
Christopher Hampton, I suffered from the inevitable affliction of comparisons. Yes, the Broadway cast --
Jeff Daniels,
Hope Davis,
James Gandolfini and
Marcia Gay Harden -- is certainly top drawer, but with the sole exception of the magnificent Davis, none of these actors come close to the far superior West End performances that singed themselves into my memory well over a year ago.
Harden may have won the Tony for Best Actress, but she's no McTeer, whose earlier, breathtaking portrayal of Véronique (now Veronica) seemed so much more genuine -- particularly from the start. Daniels is fine, but nothing could be finer than Fiennes' slow steely burn as Alain (now Alan). Gandolfini never quite finds the nuances of Michel (now Michael) quite the way Stott did.
Hope Davis, on the other hand, manages to upstage everyone else, and it's not merely because she literally erupts. It's because she plumbs the depths of Annette's pathos with such natural ease, and yes, grace, that she delivers one of the year's most exciting performances period. Ironically, for the one sole character whose name has not changed in translation, Davis provides a vibrant and exciting new take.
And coming full circle, aside from Davis, the real star of
God Of Carnage is Reza's razorsharp wit and ingeniously constructed story, making this a recommended show nonetheless.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Christopher Hampton, God Of Carnage, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, Janet McTeer, Jeff Daniels, Ken Stott, Marcia Gay Harden, Play, Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig, Yasmina Reza
Mary Stuart (The SOB Review) – Broadhurst Theatre, New York, New York
*** (out of ****)
It was the best of times (and sigh!) it was the dullest of times.
Fortunately, once you sit through the extraordinarily dry exposition of the first act of
Phyllida Lloyd’s ultimately worthy revival of
Friedrich Schiller's
Mary Stuart (with new adaptation by
Peter Oswald), you’re in for one of the year’s most powerfully explosive acts, period.
Thanks to the unusually fierce, bravura performances from
Janet McTeer and
Harriet Walter starring as cousins
Queen Mary of Scots and
Queen Elizabeth I, respectively,
Mary Stuart comes close to becoming a theatrical
tour de force of epic proportions.
Certainly from the start, McTeer and Walter are more than enough to whet anyone’s appetite. But it’s not until the gales from the onset of Act Two that their portrayals of the original dueling divas truly reigns down on the stage with an intensity so pure and genuine that you forget for a moment you’re watching something set back in time over 400 years.
For the second year in a row, I’ve witnessed a level of virtuosity from McTeer I never before could have imagined (in 2008,
I saw her extraordinary turn in the earlier London mounting of the Tony-winning hit
God Of Carnage). While Walter nearly goes toe to toe, McTeer offers that rarest of theatrical delights: a performance for the ages.
So if you’re like me and easily tire of
Mary Stuart’s labored first act (despite McTeer and Walter’s exceptional efforts), rest assured that after intermission, you’re bound to get just a little, well, moist.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Friedrich Schiller, God Of Carnage, Harriet Walter, Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart, Peter Oswald, Phyllida Lloyd, Play, Revival, The SOB Review
Twittering The TonysBy now, you already know that
Billy Elliot - The Musical won the most Tonys during last evening's ceremony (click
here to view a full list of all of this year's Tony Award winners).
Billy Elliot earned 10 Tonys in all ... or
12 if you count
David Alvarez,
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish individually for the joint Tony they received as "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical" -- a topic I'll circle back to shortly.
The evening started out surprisingly enough as
Martin Koch (
Billy Elliot - The Musical) and
Michael Starobin and
Tom Kitt (
next to normal) were both declared winners in a tie for Best Orchestrations.
But it all ended up seeming so, well, mostly predictable. While I accurately predicted 19 out of 27 categories, I was dead-on in almost every one of the major categories.
The predictabity was OK, not just because I liked most of the shows and performances that won, but also given the wonderfully witty
11:00 number offered up by host
Neil Patrick Harris, which only needed a
few last-minute changes from
Marc Shaiman and
Scott Wittman. The only things completely unpredictable were the excrutiatingly painful headbanging poor
Bret Michaels endured or the embarrassing mics that seemed to not work more often than they did.
Unlike last year, when I enjoyed the Tony Awards from a great orchestra seat at Radio City Music Hall, I was in the comfort of my own living room offering up my Tony tweets via
Twitter. It was a totally unique experience for me, but one that I have to admit enjoying primarily because of the banter with other theatre Twitters.
The only downside was that during the first hour of the televised awards, I hit Twitter's limit on the number of tweets any one individual can post in any given hour. Who knew? I certainly didn't! Fortunately, after being sidelined for over a half hour, I was able to get back on, although I ended up being a bit more judicious in what I posted.
Now, coming back full circle on the awards, the only winner I still can't wrap my head around is giving all three Billys the Tony for Best Performance by
a Leading
Actor in a Musical. Don't get me wrong, I am sure they are each very talented. Yet, how can the four other nominees who give 8 performances each week compete with three actors who perform 3 times tops per week? And to say that they are all equally worthy? Well that thinking's akin to the way they give away soccer trophies just so no one's feelings will get hurt.
Yes, I know about the bizarre Tony precedents.
In 1960, all of the young actors portraying the von Trapp family children in the original production of
The Sound Of Music --
Lauri Peters,
Kathy Dunn,
Evanna Lien,
Mary Susan Locke,
Marilyn Rogers,
William Snowden , and
Joseph Stewart -- were nominated
together in the category of Best Featured
Actress in a Musical. Wonder if Snowden and Stewart ever fully recovered from
that!
This year's Tony winning Best Performance by a Leading Actress
Alice Ripley had to share a joint nomination for the same award with
Emily Skinner for
Side Show back in 1998 simply because they were portraying conjoined twins Violet and Daisy, respectively. I always thought conjoined twins had their own individual personalities.
There used to be a rule that whoever opened in the show was eligible for the Tony. Just ask
Frank Dolce, who alternates with Tony nominee
David Bologna as Michael in
Billy Elliot - The Musical. Same show, different rules apparently apply. Maybe it was their rousing ode to individuality called "Expressing Yourself" that did them in.
I'll get off my soapbox long enough to admit how pleased I was with the rest of the results overall -- in fact, I plan to finally see both
Billy Elliot and
God Of Carnage on Broadway after having first seen them in London.
I was downright thrilled (sorry David Bologna) when
Gregory Jbara -- one of Broadway's nicest actors -- won for his role in
Billy Elliot. I got goosebumps when
Angela Lansbury earned her fifth acting Tony. And I was giddy with delight that
The Norman Conquests rightfully won Best Revival of a Play during prime time where it belonged (although I thought director
Matthew Warchus deserved to win for that effort over his other
God Of Carnage).
So, dear readers. What did you think of this year's Tony Awards? And how many of the winners did you get right?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alice Ripley, Angela Lansbury, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, David Alvarez, God Of Carnage, Gregory Jbara, Kiril Kulish, The Norman Conquests, Tony Awards, Trent Kowalik, Twitter
And The Tony Goes To...Moments ago, the
American Theatre Wing and
Broadway League's 63rd Annual
Tony Awards hosted by
Neil Patrick Harris became history!
Billy Elliot - The Musical was the evening's biggest winner, including for Best Musical, but
God Of Carnage had a great night among new dramatic works, winning Best Play. And my personal favorite show of the year
The Norman Conquests earned Best Revival of a Play ... in prime time! And
Hair won Best Revival of a Musical as it should have.
Here are all the nominees and winners:
Best Play
Dividing The Estate - Horton Foote, Author
God Of Carnage - Yasmine Reza, Author **Winner**reasons to be pretty - Neil LaBute, Author
33 Variations - Moises Kaufman, Author
Best MusicalBilly Elliot - The Musical **Winner**next to normal
Rock Of Ages
Shrek The Musical
Best Book of a MusicalBilly Elliot - The Musical - Lee Hall **Winner**next to normal - Brian Yorkey
Shrek The Musical - David Lindsay-Abaire
[title of show] - Hunter Bell
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Billy Elliot - The Musical - Music: Elton John, Lyrics: Lee Hall
next to normal - Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Brian Yorkey ** Winner**9 To 5 -The Musical - Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton
Shrek The Musical - Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
Best Revival of a Play
Joe Turner's Come And Gone
Mary Stuart
The Norman Conquests **Winner**Waiting For Godot
Best Revival of a MusicalGuys And DollsHair **Winner**Pal JoeyWest Side StoryBest Special Theatrical Event Liza's At The Palace **Winner**Slava's Snowshow
Soul Of Shaolin
You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jeff Daniels - God Of Carnage
Raúl Esparza - Speed-The-Plow
James Gandolfini - God Of Carnage
Geoffrey Rush -
Exit The King **Winner**Thomas Sadoski - reasons to be pretty
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a PlayHope Davis - God Of Carnage
Jane Fonda - 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden - God Of Carnage **Winner**Janet McTeer - Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter - Mary Stuart
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalDavid Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winners**Gavin Creel - Hair
Brian d'Arcy James - Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis - Rock Of Ages
J. Robert Spencer - next to normal
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Stockard Channing - Pal Joey
Sutton Foster - Shrek The Musical
Allison Janney - 9 To 5 - The Musical
Alice Ripley - next to normal **Winner**Josefina Scaglione - West Side Story
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
John Glover - Waiting For Godot
Zach Grenier - 33 Variations
Stephen Mangan - The Norman Conquests
Paul Ritter - The Norman Conquests
Roger Robinson - Joe Turner's Come And Gone **Winner**Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Hallie Foote - Dividing The Estate
Jessica Hynes - The Norman Conquests
Marin Ireland - reasons to be pretty
Angela Lansbury - Blithe Spirit **Winner**Amanda Root - The Norman Conquests
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalDavid Bologna - Billy Elliot - The Musical
Gregory Jbara - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winner**Marc Kudisch - 9 To 5 - The Musical
Christopher Sieber - Shrek The Musical
Will Swenson - Hair
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a MusicalJennifer Damiano - next to normal
Haydn Gwynne - Billy Elliot - The Musical
Karen Olivo - West Side Story **Winner**Martha Plimpton- Pal Joey
Carole Shelley - Billy Elliot - The Musical
Best Scenic Design of a MusicalRobert Brill - Guys And Dolls
Ian MacNeil - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winner**Scott Pask - Pal Joey
Mark Wendland - next to normal
Best Scenic Design of a PlayDale Ferguson - Exit The King
Rob Howell - The Norman Conquests
Derek McLane - 33 Variations **Winner**Michael Yeargan - Joe Turner's Come And Gone
Best Costume Design of a Play
Dale Ferguson - Exit The King
Jane Greenwood - Waiting For Godot
Martin Pakledinaz - Blithe Spirit
Anthony Ward - Mary Stuart **Winner**Best Costume Design of a MusicalGregory Gale - Rock Of Ages
Nicky Gillibrand - Billy Elliot - The Musical
Tim Hatley - Shrek The Musical **Winner**Michael McDonald - Hair
Best Lighting Design of a Play
David Hersey - Equus
David Lander - 33 Variations
Brian MacDevitt - Joe Turner's Come And Gone **Winner**Hugh Vanstone - Mary Stuart
Best Lighting Design of a MusicalKevin Adams - Hair
Kevin Adams - next to normal
Howell Binkley - West Side Story
Rick Fisher - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winner**Best Sound Design of a PlayPaul Arditti - Mary Stuart
Gregory Clarke - Equus **Winner**Russell Goldsmith - Exit The King
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg - Joe Turner's Come And Gone
Best Sound Design of a MusicalAcme Sound Partners - Hair
Paul Arditti - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winner**Peter Hylenski - Rock Of Ages
Brian Ronan - next to normal
Best Direction of a PlayPhyllida Lloyd - Mary Stuart
Bartlett Sher - Joe Turner's Come And Gone
Matthew Warchus - God Of Carnage **Winner**Matthew Warchus - The Norman Conquests
Best Direction of a MusicalStephen Daldry - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winner**Michael Greif - next to normal
Kristin Hanggi - Rock Of Ages
Diane Paulus - Hair
Best Choreography
Karole Armitage - Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler - 9 To 5 - The Musical
Peter Darling - Billy Elliot - The Musical **Winner**Randy Skinner - Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Best OrchestrationsLarry Blank- Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Martin Koch - Billy Elliot - The Musical **TIE Winner**Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt - next to normal **TIE Winner**Danny Troob and John Clancy - Shrek The Musical
So, dear readers, are you happy with the results? I'll provide my own perspective on the winners and the overlooked tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, God Of Carnage, Hair, The Norman Conquests, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations
"It's Like The Golden Globes For Theatre!"Last Friday, the
75th Annual Drama League Awards were presented to honor the best on Broadway and off.
Award winners included:
Distinguished Revival of a Play:
Blithe SpiritDistinguished Revival of a Musical:
HairDistinguished Production of a Play:
God Of CarnageDistinguished Production of a Musical:
Billy Elliot - The MusicalDistinguished Performance:
Geoffrey Rush -
Exit The KingUnique Contribution to the Theatre Award:
Angela LansburyDistinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre:
Sir Elton JohnThe Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing:
Arthur LaurentsAfter attending last year's Tony Awards -- certainly
Broadway's equivalent to the
Academy Awards -- I was thrilled to attend the Drama League Awards.
Shrek The Musical star
Christopher Sieber, one of the
71 nominees for distinguished performance, quipped to me, "It's like the
Golden Globes for theatre!"
And so it was with nearly all of the nominees assembled for a wine-filled luncheon on a three-tiered dais that reminded one nominee of a large "
Match Game" set (it looked more to me like a celebrity telethon minus the telephones).
The glory of the Drama League Awards is that while there are all those nominees ranging from the
famous Oscar-
winning stars to the actors who've just experienced their first major breaks Off-Broadway, they all have an equal opportunity to say a few words. And they do it with such a welcome flourish.
Despite the fact they were all vying for one award, the sense of community they shared as actors was palpable. It was truly incredible and one of the best celebrations of the theatrical art form I've ever enjoyed.
Founded in 1916, the Drama League bills itself as "America's best-kept secret for theatre lovers." Click
here for more information on how you, too, can become a Drama League member.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Arthur Laurents, Awards, Billy Elliot The Musical, Blithe Spirit, Drama League, Elton John, Geoffrey Rush, God Of Carnage, Hair
What Hath God Wrought?Yesterday, the Broadway incarnation of
God Of Carnage opened to a slew of
pretty decent reviews, including the
one that seems to matter most.
Helmed by
Matthew Warchus , the Great White Way staging of
Yasmina Reza's latest work (with translation from
Christopher Hampton) stars
Jeff Daniels,
Hope Davis,
James Gandolfini and
Marcia Gay Harden.
After having thoroughly enjoyed last year's brilliant London production with
Ralph Fiennes and absolutely mesmerizing
Janet McTeer -- click here for that
SOB Review -- I find this morning's favorable critiques to be very tempting for a revisit to this visceral comedy. Oh, and if you'd like to see McTeer, your opportunity comes later this month as the London-cum-Broadway revival of
Mary Stuart begins previews.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Christopher Hampton, Critics' Capsule, God Of Carnage, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, Janet McTeer, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Stuart, Play, Yasmina Reza
Get Ready For Carnage On BroadwayNo, I'm not talking about all hell breaking loose once all the myriad shows have closed on the Great White Way over the next week and a half.
Instead, I'm talking about the upcoming Broadway berth of
Yasmina Reza's wickedly funny and downright, um, visceral
God Of Carnage descending upon a Rialto stage later this spring.
According to
Baz Bamigboye of London's Daily Mail, the Main Stem incarnation will star
Jeff Daniels,
Hope Davis,
Marcia Gay Harden and
James Gandolfini.
After having enjoyed the West End mounting (which included what the West End Whingers have graciously named the "
year's best vomiting scene"), I'll be anxiously awaiting the new staging.
And with this cast, so should you.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, God Of Carnage, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, London, Marcia Gay Harden, Yasmina Reza
Broadway Preview: Mary StuartAfter getting wind yesterday that acclaimed British actress
Janet McTeer would be returning to Broadway for her first time since earning a Tony Award for Best Actress in 1997 for her turn as Norma Helmer in
A Doll's House, I couldn't help but think, "How wonderful that she'll be reprising the her
absolutely brilliant portrayal of Véronique Vallon stateside in
God Of Carnage."
Yes, McTeer
is coming to the Great White Way in Spring 2009, and she
will be reprising a West End role. But it won't be in
God Of Carnage. Yet.
According to
Variety, McTeer's Rialto return will be as
Mary Queen of Scots. She'll be starring in a transfer of
Donmar Warehouse's 2005-06 hit revival of German playwright
Friedrich Schiller's
Mary Stuart.
Harriet Walter, whose only Main Stem credit came 25 years ago in a revival of
All's Well that Ends Well, will reprise her West End portrayal of
Queen Elizabeth I.
Peter Oswald's adaptation of
Mary Stuart will be directed by
Phyllida Lloyd of
Mamma Mia! fame.
Now perhaps it's because Americans aren't as engaged in British history as, oh, say the
rest of the world, but
Mary Stuart has only seen two previous Rialto incarnations.
The first came in 1900 at the
Fifth Avenue Theatre when it played in repertory with
Macbeth,
Marie Antoinette,
Much Ado About Nothing,
The Ladies' Battle and
Twelfth Night.
The next revival of the work wouldn't come for another 71 years, when
Mary Stuart was produced at
Lincoln Center's
Vivian Beaumont Theatre in late 1971. Clocking in at a mere 44 performances, the
Jules Irving-helmed play pitted
Salome Jens' Mary versus
Nancy Marchand's Elizabeth, and featured
Philip Bosco as Robert Dudley.
While you might think that they'd stage this new adaptation of Schiller's
Mary Stuart at one of Broadway's not-for-profit venues, it will instead be housed in one of the commercial theatres owned by the
Shubert Organization.
Whether New York audiences will enjoy rediscovering
Mary Stuart is a big question mark. Yet given the renewed thirst for royal entertainment, thanks in part to
Cate Blanchett's breathtaking turns as the first Queen Elizabeth, as well as
Showtimes' "
The Tudors," the time might very well be as right as can be. And the opportunity to see McTeer should be worth the ticket itself.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: The American Plan (July 14, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Shrek The Musical (July 13, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Waiting For Godot (July 12, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Pal Joey (July 11, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Dividing The Estate (July 10, 2008)
Broadway Preview: 13 (July 9, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Speed-The-Plow (July 8, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
God Of Carnage (The SOB Review) (May 2, 2008)
Labels: Donmar Warehouse, First Word On New Show, God Of Carnage, Harriet Walter, Janet McTeer, London, Mary Stuart, Phyllida Lloyd, Play, Revival, Transfer
God Of Carnage (The SOB Review) - Gielgud Theatre, London, United Kingdom
***1/2 (out of ****)It doesn't take very long during
Yasmina Reza's latest effort
God Of Carnage -- as adapted by frequent Reza translator
Christopher Hampton -- to get to its very exacting, visceral guts.
By the time seemingly mild-mannered French housewife Véronique Vallon (an absolutely brilliant
Janet McTeer) declares, "We're all fundamentally uncouth," all hell has already broken loose. And what a riot it is.
Alain and Annette Reille (
Ralph Fiennes and
Tamsin Greig, respectively) have been summoned to the home of Véronique and her husband Michel (
Ken Stott) after their son has bullied the Vallon's boy. Civility goes out the window almost as quickly as Annette's lunch -- along with every defensive insult -- is hurled in every direction. Alliances quickly realign depending upon the argument
du moment.With
Matthew Warchus' razorsharp, precise direction and finely calibrated and downright funny performances from his superb cast of four, it doesn't really matter that Reza is telling all of us that like the characters in
God Of Carnage, we're all basically rude, too. Set against
Mark Thompson's appropriately stylish blood-red set, it's the delivery of this massacre that makes it an engrossing kill worth watching.
As Alain, Fiennes offers a steely slow burn as the ethically-challenged businessman who can't be bothered with the niceties or apologies he's been asked to submit. Turns out, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but in this case, the junior Reille has branched out and uses sticks as his weapon. Try as she might, not even Annette can mask Alain's insouciance. Although in one of the most rip-roaring, ribald reflexes I've ever seen give way on a stage to date, Greig shocks as her Annette erupts quite literally.
Even as the aggrieved, put-upon Vallons, McTeer and Stott excel at slithering down to the most ignoble base of their beings. But it's McTeer's Véronique who steals the show with a meltdown from the responsible citizen of the world she fancies herself as being into the real human being she truly is.
Yet unlike
Harold Pinter's
The Homecoming, which presents a mostly vile family virtually lacking in any preposessing virtues, Reza's buoyant new work credibly serves up an assortment of readily recognizable, fully-rounded married couples who march to the beat of a drum we've likely thumped ourselves. And it's all done with a decent dose of humor that makes this 100 minute performance riveting entertainment.
Post Script: It looks as though that drum will be beating closer to home as it's been
announced today that Reza's play will see a New York mounting sometime next year.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:London Calling, Celebrity Sightings (April 22, 2008)
The Homecoming (The SOB Review) (January 17, 2008)
Labels: Christopher Hampton, God Of Carnage, Janet McTeer, Ken Stott, London, Mark Thompson, Matthew Warchus, Play, Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig, The SOB Review, Transfer, Yasmina Reza
London Calling, Celebrity SightingsYesterday, I left a
quick post regarding a literal run-in with musical theatre star
John Barrowman, who was nice as can possibly be.
Last evening, whilst going to see
God Of Carnage with
Ralph Fiennes and
Janet McTeer at London's lovely Gielgud Theatre, RF's brother
Joseph (pictured) was seated just a few row behind us in the front stalls, while
Elizabeth McGovern was also in the audience.
More to come on
God Of Carnage with a complete SOB Review in the days ahead. For now, let's just say, we're all fundamentally uncouth.
Tonight, it's
Maria Friedman and tomorrow,
Gone With The Wind.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB) in London.
Labels: Celebrity Sighting, Elizabeth McGovern, God Of Carnage, Gone With The Wind, Janet McTeer, John Barrowman, Joseph Fiennes, London, Play, Ralph Fiennes
