Theatre News Wire

March comes in like a lion at Goodman Theatre when Yasmina Reza's "savagely entertaining" (Variety), triple Tony-Award-winning God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton, makes its Chicago debut starting March 5, 2011. Chicago Director Rick Snyder stages this searing comic dissection of what is perhaps the most daunting activity on earth: parenting. Acclaimed French Playwright Reza (Art, Conversations After a Burial), known for skillfully turning social tragedies into riotous comedies, rips through the most basic social settings into the heart and soul of two couples dealing with the mayhem of matrimony and parenthood in this "savvy and deliciously caustic new comedy" (Chicago Tribune). Performances are March 5 - April 10, 2011 in the Goodman's Albert Theatre; tickets are $25 - $78.

"God of Carnage is a theatrical rarity-a comedy that translates easily to a variety of cultures and countries," said Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls. "Yasmina Reza gives insights into human nature and behavior that
are both wise and ruefully true, revealing serious bases that are at the heart of some of our most outlandishly comic responses. I am thrilled to welcome Rick Snyder and some of the finest comic actors who bring these identifiable characters to life."

The Broadway sensation God of Carnage is a comedy of manners-without the manners-in which "highly skilled stage performers take on roles that allow them to rip the stuffing out of one another, tear up the scenery, stomp on their own vanity and have the time of their lives" (The New York Times). Inspired by a true story, God of Carnage centers around two seemingly different couples-Veronica and Michael Novak and Annette and Alan Raleigh. When Alan (David Pasquesi) and Annette (Beth Lacke)'s son hits Michael (Keith Kupferer) and Veronica (Mary Beth Fisher)'s son with a stick, the two couples meet to discuss the problem over clafouti and coffee. What starts as a civilized gettogether quickly devolves into a laugh-out-loud evening that The New Yorker calls "ninety minutes of sustained mayhem." Reza made her directorial debut with the world-premiere of God of Carnage in Paris; the play later went on to receive critical acclaim in London and on Broadway. Earning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and three Tony Awards, including Best Play, God of Carnage was hailed as a "first class" play (The New York Times) and the "the best play in town!" (New York Post).

"I am fascinated by the way God of Carnage slowly uncovers a basic truth about human interaction," said Director Rick Snyder. "We try very hard to do the right, socially acceptable thing, but in reality, our true instincts and feelings are always right beneath the surface, waiting to emerge. The parents in this play try to deal with a child's very honest, physical human reaction; but in the end it's the child's voice that makes the parents see themselves for who they truly are."

Tickets to God of Carnage ($25 - $78) are currently on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org. Tickets and subscriptions can also be purchased at the box office (170 North Dearborn) or by phone at 312.443.3800.