by Christine Sarkes

God of Carnage by acclaimed Parisian playwright Yasmina Reza, playing at Theatre in the Round through April 28, is not for the faint-hearted. The 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Play is an uncomfortable, in-your-face exploration of human conflict and civilized behavior personified as two sets of upper middle-class parents. Running just over 80 minutes without intermission, the audience watches as a polite evening’s discussion about how to handle their spatting 11-year-old sons quickly disintegrates into intense, drunken debates over proper parenting, brutality as a proof of manhood, the role of men and women in a marriage, civilized discourse versus raw emotion and even animal cruelty. Let’s throw in the Sudanese humanitarian crisis and the best clafoutis recipe while we’re at it. Thankfully, many darkly comedic moments punctuate the dialogue.

The players in this production (Michael Postle, Kendra Mueller, Mia Josimovic and D’aniel Stock in photo above) fully commit to the chaos and complexities of their characters. Kendra Mueller (as Annette Raleigh) gives a standout performance, navigating her character’s many mood changes from compliant and cooperative mother of the aggressor son to defiant and emboldened wife and neighbor.

I reviewed Reza’s first play “Art” at the Guthrie in December and was eager to see this play to deepen my exposure to her unique voice. That play openly acknowledged the rarified atmosphere and conversational styles of certain Parisian elites. The version of this play, translated and adapted for American audiences, is set in a bourgeois Brooklyn neighborhood where, to my ear, the dialogue and plot progression don’t ring true. When informed after the play that it was originally set in Paris, my companion remarked, “now that makes sense.”

Reza’s genius as a playwright lies in her ability to weave lofty socio-political, psychological and philosophical themes into sharply satirical dialogue that exposes suppressed conflict and hypocrisy. In this play, however, the exposition relies on the couples remaining in the same room to feed the conflict and nourish the debate. How many times during the evening did I wonder, “Why don’t they just leave?” The jury is still out on whether I benefitted by staying to witness the carnage.

I should mention some trigger warnings. Vomit is involved as is some lightly violent smashing of scenery and racist, sexist language.

God of Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Alissa Blaeser. Now through April 28, April 15 is pay what you can, post-show audience discussion on April 14. Theatre in the Round Players, 245 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis. Tickets at theatreintheround.org