March 23, 2009

'God of Carnage' opens on Broadway with Gandolfini

The new comedy “God of Carnage” opened on Broadway on Sunday night and impressed the critics with a sharp cast of Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis.

The play, which earlier this month in London won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, is about two pairs of Brooklyn parents who meet up to discuss the Cobble Hill Park fight involving their two 11-year old sons.

Originally written set in Paris and written in French by Yasmina Reza, it’s been translated by Christopher Hampton and slightly modified for U.S. audiences. Matthew Warchus directs.

“God of Carnage” is scheuduled to play through July 19 at the Bernard Jacobs Theater, at 242 W. 45th St., map. Regular tickets are priced from $66.50 to $116.50. Premium seats are sold from $176.50 to $251.50. If a performance is sold out, standing-room tickets will go on sale for $26.50.

The “God of Carnage” reviews:
Daily News - “It’s sort of a “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” meets “Survivor.” Once rum starts flowing, it gets louder, uglier and funnier.”

Bloomberg - “This perfect acting ensemble, brilliantly directed, provides marvels of demeanor and delivery, its precision timing and onstage deployment yielding sidesplitting returns”

Variety - ” Examining how the straitjacket of civilized society can barely contain the primitive beast within, the fanged comedy picks an easy target in the complacent bourgeoisie. But the savagery of its dissection of interpersonal politics — marital, sexual and civic — is played to perfection by a scorching cast in Matthew Warchus’ pungent production.”

New York Times - “And their performances in Ms. Reza’s streamlined anatomy of the human animal incite the kind of laughter that comes from the gut, as involuntary as hiccups or belching.”

Newsday - “In fact, there isn’t a false cue in “God of Carnage,” Yasmina Reza’s brutally entertaining 85-minute satire that opened last night at the Jacobs Theatre with a four-star quartet of dazzling performers - one of whom happens to be James Gandolfini.”

New Yorker - “But Gandolfini, who brilliantly manages his character’s arc from genteel to goniff, earns every moment of Reza’s fun. He is a huge guy, whose size is as imposing as the brooding melancholy that makes him a dangerous presence. When Alan drops bits of clafoutis on the carpet—“I have no manners,” he says—Michael watches him from the sofa in electrifying silence, like an alligator eyeing an egret.”

Los Angeles Times - “The amusement of the piece comes from watching masks fall. Self-engrossed and morally lax, Daniels’ Alan may be the most immediately dislikable of the group, but he also the most honest about his degenerate character. Ordering an espresso when Annette is barely able to ask for water, he’s shamelessly unconcerned with what others think of him. Alan saves his double-talk for his job, not caring to put on a false face unless he’s going to be amply paid for it.”

Chicago Tribune - “Reza is an intentionally slippery and occasionally glib writer who maintains a certain irritating distance from the topical issues she brings up, and “Carnage” will be seen by some as overly pat, opportunist and bourgeoise. It is, to a point. But this is more visceral, more culturally specific, and thus far better, than “Art,” a benign soupcon compared with this very cleverly structured and frequently hilarious communal meltdown. “

Associated Press - “The real revelation of the evening, though, is Harden, usually seen in much more somber roles such as her Oscar-winning performance as Lee Krasner in the film “Pollack.” In “Carnage,” she undergoes the play’s most startling transformation — from quiet, considerate woman concerned about such tragedies as Darfur to a bellowing harridan who’s not above throwing a punch or two. It’s one of those swell, showy comic portraits that has Tony nomination (and probably the prize, too) written all over it.”

Post - “As she did in “Art,” Reza dissects upper-middle-class foils with precision and a welcome mean streak, but her plays don’t amount to all that much once the smoke has cleared. “God of Carnage” itself boils down to “Good manners only hide bad problems.”“

NY1 - “The great joy in this production is in the way these outstanding actors bite into their roles. There’s some scenery chewing as well. Jeff Daniels’ wonderfully obnoxious lawyer, initially the biggest creep, is outdone by James Gandolfini’s wholesaler whose mildmannered façade is shattered with a barrage of beautifully played nastiness.”

amNewYork - “But what really drives this production is director Matthew Warchus (“Boeing-Boeing”), who orchestrates pitch-perfect comic timing among his absolutely excellent quartet of actors.”

USA Today - “It’s just a matter of time before the meeting devolves into an orgy of verbal and physical brawling — and a showcase for first-rate ensemble acting.”

March 23, 2009 7:31 AM in Broadway, Midtown

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