God of CarnageInternational City Theatre at Long Beach Performing Arts Center
Reviewed by
Eric Marchese
January 31, 2012
Director Caryn Desai presents this microcosm with four distinct faces: earthy, good-natured Michael (Greg Derelian); his liberal, socially conscious wife, Veronica (Leslie Stevens); alpha male Alan (David Nevell), a high-powered, winner-take-all corporate attorney; and his cheerful, polite wife, Annette (Alet Taylor), who adheres to older societal stereotypes of wives and mothers. While the discussions and negotiations are obviously doomed from the start, and the destruction of the spouses' efforts is just as obviously inevitable, Desai and company wring laughs from the ways both sides strain to come off as the more devoted, wise, and compassionate parents. The fine ensemble cast evenly balances the bickering within and between couples, carving highly individualized portraits through the way they undermine or reinforce various traits by gender and marital and social status. As the more conservative pair, Nevell and Taylor evoke moneyed, privileged WASP blue bloods unwilling to lay blame upon their son, who injured Michael and Veronica's son. Derelian's clownish Michael typifies a blue-collar lifestyle and values, ultimately revealed as at odds with Stevens' portrayal of the feisty yet sensitive Veronica. The staging's production values—notably Stephen Gifford's sterile living room set, so devoid of human warmth—undergird the unflattering portraits of self-centeredness. Presented by International City Theatre at Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Jan.27–Feb. 19. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (562) 436-4610 or www.internationalcitytheatre.com. |
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