God of Carnage
God of Carnage Le Dieu du carnage | |
---|---|
Written by | Yasmina Reza |
Characters | Alain Reille Annette Reille Véronique Houllié Michel Houllié |
Date premiered | 2 December 2006 |
Place premiered | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
Original language | French |
Subject | Two married couples meet to discuss a scuffle between their sons and gradually degenerate into children themselves. |
Genre | Black comedy |
God of Carnage (originally in French Le Dieu du carnage) is a play by Yasmina Reza that was first published in 2008. It is about two sets of parents; the son of one couple has hurt the son of the other couple at a public park. The parents meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish and the meeting devolves into chaos. Originally written in French, the play was translated into English by translator Christopher Hampton, and has enjoyed acclaim in productions in both London and New York.
Plot
Before the play begins, two 11-year-old children, Ferdinand Reille and Bruno Vallon (Benjamin and Henry in the Broadway production), get involved in an argument because Bruno refuses to let Ferdinand join his 'gang'. Ferdinand knocks out two of Bruno's teeth with a stick. That night, the parents of both children meet to discuss the matter. Ferdinand's father, Alain (Alan in the Broadway production), is a lawyer who is never off his
Cast
Character | West End debut 2008 |
Broadway debut 2009 |
Film adaptation 2011 |
---|---|---|---|
Alan | Ralph Fiennes | Jeff Daniels | Christoph Waltz |
Annette | Tamsin Grieg |
Hope Davis | Kate Winslet |
Michael | Ken Stott | James Gandolfini | John C. Reilly |
Veronica | Janet McTeer | Marcia Gay Harden | Jodie Foster |
Production history
Original London production
2009 Broadway production
After some minor changes to the English script to accommodate American audiences, a
The production was remounted in 2011 as a one-off engagement for Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, running for eight weeks from April 5, 2011 to May 29, 2011 (extended from the originally-announced six week run).[7] The original Broadway cast reprised their original roles.[8] The production broke every box office record set at the time for a play at the Ahmanson Theatre, selling 97,567 tickets and grossing nearly $8 million in eight weeks.[9]
Other productions
The German premiere took place on December 2, 2006 at the Schauspielhaus Zürich[10] with Dörte Lyssewski as Véronique Houillé, Tilo Nest as Michel Houillé, Corinna Kirchhoff as Annette Reille and Michael Maertens as Alain Reille. The play was directed by Jürgen Gosch.
The Slovenian premiere took place in 2007 at the National Theatre in Ljubljana. The play was directed by Janusz Kica.
The play was produced in French for the first time with a premiere on January 25, 2008, at the Théâtre Antoine in Paris.[4] The actors were Isabelle Huppert as Véronique Houllié, André Marcon as Michel Houllié, Valérie Bonneton as Annette Reille and Éric Elmosnino as Alain Reille. The director was the playwright herself, Yasmina Reza.[4]
In Spain, the play was released on October 2, 2008 at the Alcázar Theatre in Madrid, starring Maribel Verdú, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Antonio Molero and Pere Ponce.[11] For their performances, they won and were nominated for numerous awards.
The Croatian premiere took place in 2008 at the National Theatre in Split. The play was directed by Nenni Delmestre.[12] The second Croatian production took place in 2009 at Theatre Rugantino in Zagreb. The play was directed by Franka Perkovic.
In Serbia, the premiere of the play was in December 2008 at Atelje 212 in Belgrade. It was directed by Alisa Stojanović and starred Dušanka Stojanović, Tihomir Stanić, Jelena Đokić and Svetozar Cvetković.
The Sydney premiere took place on 3 October 2009 at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre.[13] It was directed by Gale Edwards and starred Russell Dykstra, Sacha Horler, Marcus Graham, and Helen Thomson. The designer was Brian Thomson.
The Romanian premiere took place in 2010 at the Comedy Theater (Teatrul de Comedie) in Bucharest. The play was directed by Lucian Giurchescu, and the actors were Delia Nartea/Teodora Stanciu, Tania Popa, Marius Drogeanu and Alexandru Conovaru.
The Irish premiere took place in February 2011 at the Gate Theatre, Dublin starring Maura Tierney, Ardal O'Hanlon, Owen Roe and Donna Dent, and directed by Alan Stanford.[14][15]
It premiered in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre in March 2011, directed by Rick Snyder and starring David Pasquesi.[16] The play also had a run at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[17]
God of Carnage had its Puerto Rican premiere on November 4, 2011 at the
A Flemish version called "God van de slachting" in Dutch, toured Flanders, Belgium in 2012. It was directed by acclaimed television director Jan Eelen and starred Els Dottermans, Frank Focketyn, An Miller and Oscar Van Rompay. The tour was hugely successful, mainly thanks to the fame of the director. The Raamtheater had previously performed the play, but their version was less successful.[18]
In March 2013 "Un Dios Salvaje" premiered in Chile at Centro Mori Parque Arauco theatre, starring Blanca Lewin, Alvaro Espinoza, Ingrid Cruz and Elvis Fuentes, directed by Andrés Céspedes and produced by The Cow Company.
The United Arab Emirates premiere took place in Dubai in April 2013 with Director Nina Hein, at the Jam Jar.[19] Actors were Russell Bell (Michael), Brook Butterworth (Annette), Mike Green (Alan) and Sophie Paris (Veronica).
A new production of the Christopher Hampton English translation was part of the 2018 summer season at the Theatre Royal, Bath.[20][21] Directed by Lindsay Posner, it starred Elizabeth McGovern, Amanda Abbington, Nigel Lindsay, and Ralf Little.
God of Carnage was performed at Brighton Fringe in 2022 by Pretty Villain Productions at The Rialto Theatre, receiving an 'Outstanding' review.[22]
An Off-Broadway revival took place at Theatre Row in NYC. Previews began on April 18, 2023 with opening night on April 27, 2023. David Burtka, Carey Cox, Gabe Fazio and Christiane Noll starred.[23]
A revival was staged at the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith), opening on 1 September 2023. Directed by Nicholai La Barrie, the cast featured Freema Agyeman as Veronica, Martin Hutson as Michael, Ariyon Bakare as Alan and Dinita Gohil as Annette.[24][25]
Film adaptation
Roman Polanski directed the 2011 film adaption of God of Carnage, whose title was shortened to Carnage. The film was shot in Paris due to Polanski's outstanding criminal conviction in the United States.[26] Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play Penelope and Michael and Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet play Alan and Nancy.[27]
Awards and nominations
Original London production
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Laurence Olivier Awards
|
Best Comedy | Yasmina Reza | Won |
Original Broadway production
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Tony Awards[28][29] | Best Play | Yasmina Reza | Won |
Best Actor in a Play | Jeff Daniels | Nominated | ||
James Gandolfini | Nominated | |||
Best Actress in a Play | Marcia Gay Harden | Won | ||
Hope Davis | Nominated | |||
Best Director of a Play | Matthew Warchus | Won | ||
Drama Desk Awards[30] | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play | Marcia Gay Harden | Nominated |
Original Madrid production
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Fotogramas de Plata Award
|
Best Actress | Maribel Verdú | Nominated |
2008 | Valle-Inclán Award | Best Performance | Aitana Sánchez-Gijón | Nominated |
Maribel Verdú | Nominated |
References
- ^ Coveney, Michael (26 March 2008). "God of Carnage". Whatsonstage. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ Nightingale, Benedict (26 April 2008). "God of Carnage at the Gielgud, W1". The Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ a b Paddock, Terri (2 May 2008). "London's The God of Carnage Closes June 14; Aims for Broadway in 2009". TheaterMania.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008.
- ^ ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (26 April 2010). "God of Carnage to Close in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ Lemon, Brendan (25 March 2009). "God of Carnage, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York". The Financial Times. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ "Original Broadway Cast Set for God of Carnage at Ahmanson Theatre". SoCalPulse. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ McNulty, Charles (14 April 2011). "Theater review: 'God of Carnage' at the Ahmanson Theatre". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "2008–Present". Center Theatre Group. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Ng, David (19 December 2011). "'Carnage' writer Yasmina Reza discusses her life in the theater". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Un Dios salvaje". La Rioja (in European Spanish). 23 May 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "The God of Carnage – Nenni Delmestre". nennidelmestre.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Varley, Eddie (21 August 2009). "Gale Edwards Helmed GOD OF CARNAGE Plays The Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House 10/3 -11/14". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "God of Carnage". Gate Theatre Dublin. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Crawley, Peter (4 February 2011). "God Of Carnage". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (5 May 2010). "God of Carnage to Make Chicago Debut at the Goodman". Playbill. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's "God of Carnage"". MPR News. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "NTGent — God van de Slachting". cobra.canvas.be (in Dutch). 13 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018.
- ^ "God of Carnage". The Jam Jar. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Franklin, Marc J. (16 January 2020). "A First Look at the U.K. Tour of God of Carnage". Playbill. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "God of Carnage". Fringe Review. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (16 March 2023). "David Burtka to Lead Off-Broadway 'God of Carnage' Revival (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ "God of Carnage". Lyric Hammersmith. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (4 December 2010). "Roman Polanski Accepts European Film Award Via Skype". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (19 October 2010). "John C. Reilly Completes Cast of Polanski's God of Carnage Film". Playbill. Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ "Winners 2009". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew; Jones, Kenneth (5 May 2009). "Nominations for 2009 Tony Awards Announced; Billy Elliot Earns 15 Nominations". Playbill. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Drama Desk Awards: 2009". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.