GOD OF CARNAGE - RIGA

Four adults. One childhood conflict. And just one evening for every rule of civility to completely fall apart.

What happens when two successful, respectable families meet to calmly and civilly discuss a fight between their children?

At first, there are polite smiles, carefully chosen words and a cup of coffee. Then come alcohol, irritation, mutual accusations and increasingly candid confessions. And before long, almost nothing remains of their impeccable manners.

French playwright Yasmina Reza’s celebrated play “God of Carnage” is a witty, ruthless and remarkably precise exploration of human nature. The play won the Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway and was adapted for the screen in 2011 by Roman Polanski, starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly.

ABOUT THE PLAY

It all begins with an ordinary childhood incident: two boys get into a fight in the playground, and one of them knocks out several of the other boy’s teeth.

Their parents meet to resolve the conflict like responsible adults. They are educated, successful, well-mannered and completely convinced that they can reach a calm and reasonable agreement.

But the civilized conversation quickly spirals out of control.

Coffee gives way to alcohol, politeness to irritation, and diplomacy to open warfare. Husbands and wives begin turning against one another, old resentments rise to the surface, and behind the façade of respectable prosperity gradually emerge jealousy, aggression, fear, selfishness and the most basic human instincts.

What began as a conversation about children unexpectedly becomes a ruthless conversation about the adults themselves.

“God of Carnage” is at once a razor-sharp comedy, a psychological duel and a precise examination of human nature.

A NEW TAKE ON A MODERN CLASSIC

The new production by Elena Khazanova and Georges Guerreiro combines theatrical energy with an expressive cinematic language. The directors place particular emphasis on the tragicomic nature of the play – the audience laughs at what unfolds on stage, only to gradually begin recognizing themselves in the characters.

The production is driven by the live interaction of four actors, transforming an ordinary living room into an arena of psychological warfare, where everyone tries to maintain their composure – and loses it faster and faster.

STARRING

• Alexander Kuznetsov

• Maria Mashkova

• Artur Smolyaninov

• Maria Shalaeva

This star-studded ensemble creates a story in which the true nature of the characters gradually emerges from behind the façade of outward politeness.

“God of Carnage” is a play about how thin the line between civilization and chaos really is. About how easily a polite conversation can turn into an all-out battle. And about how the most dangerous conflicts sometimes begin with the most innocent words.

A performance that makes it increasingly difficult to laugh at the characters – because there is simply too much of ourselves in them.