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
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
