God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth to 2 August 2024.

5✩✩✩✩✩ Review: Cormac Richards.

“A wonderfully satisfying evening of high-class drama.”

Yasmina Reza’s extraordinary 2008 play lifts the lid off the genteel politeness of middle-class Parisians as two couples meet to discuss the fallout from an incident between their respective sons – one has hit the other in the face with a stick breaking two teeth. In trying to resolve their own issues as parents, their own conflict with each other spirals downwards until, they, in turn, take on the attitudes and actions of children.

Usually performed without an interval, the positioning of a break in this production is spot on. The result is a relatively slow burn leading to a second half of chaos and alcohol fuelled viciousness. Christopher Hampton’s cracking adaptation brings with it the sharpest of edges and jaw-dropping lines which cause gasps one minute and gales of laughter (much from the deep discomfort of what is on show) the next.

With a stripped back, but elegant, set, the focus is on the quartet of characters, each of whom have multiple layers which are peeled back during the action. Director Ellie Chadwick has taken the script by the neck and squeezed every last drop of wit, satire and comedy she can from it; it is a stunning production - the awkward pauses at the start are pushed to the limit and the escalation of the second half is beautifully judged.

There can be no weak links in a production of this play, all four actors must be at the top of their game and the audience is offered the perfect quartet. Claire Louise Amias is just wonderful at mood changes and, as Veronique, the victim’s mother, her journey from ice cool, academic campaigner to screaming emotional wreck is a joy to behold. As her underachieving husband Michel, Steve Blacker-Barrowman smartly disguises a razor tongue and general disgust with life, with a conciliatory superficiality, it is a devastating performance of vicious stealth. The parents of the perpetrator (or is he?) fare little better. Apparently quiet and unassuming and not wanting a fuss, a potent mixture of food, alcohol and violent sickness transform Annette into a raging beast; Julia Main grasps every opportunity the character offers, the result is a devastating characterisation. Alain, Annette’s husband, is slippery, self-important and arrogant;, forever on his phone, it takes a vase of tulips to truly bring him down to earth and Matt Hartley is simply brilliant in the role; he captures all aspects of the character and then some. When you witness a group of actors working in perfect harmony, something special is delivered.

It is not common for the Summer Festival to program such a modern piece of theatre but it is a really positive step and brings to the Manor Pavilion audiences the chance to witness a classic of today which will hold its own in years to come, just as Coward, Rattigan and Ayckbourn have. As the audience warm to the realisation of what they are watching, the laughter rings out and the result is a wonderfully satisfying evening of high-class drama and acting at its finest.

Do not miss the chance to see this fantastic play being given gold standard treatment.

Cast

Veronique Vallon – Claire Louise Amias

Michel Vallon – Steve Blacker-Barrowman

Annette Reille – Julia Main

Alain Reille – Matt Hartley

Creatives

Writer – Yasmina Reza – translation by Christopher Hampton

Director – Ellie Chadwick

Design – Andrew Beckett

Lighting & Sound Operation – James Prendergast

Costume Designer – Jan Huckle

Set Builders – Rhys Cannon & James Prendergast

Props Supervisor - James Prendergast

Artistic Director - Paul Taylor-Mills

Season Associate Producer – Andrew Beckett