'God of Carnage' entertains

Friday, October 19, 2012

The Tony Award-winning "God of Carnage," presented as part of the Chattanooga Theatre Centre Spotlight Series in the intimate Circle Theatre, is thought-provoking and entertaining.

The dramatic comedy centers on two well-to-do couples whose sons have had a fight on the playground. When they meet to discuss the proper way to handle the situation, French playwright Yasmina Reza peels the façade off the civilized as the four characters devour each other with shifting alliances physically and psychologically.

Director Chuck Tuttle casts a quality quartet in this parody of ill manners.

Stacy Helton is Alan Raleigh, the annoying attorney addicted to his cellphone. Julie Van Valkenburg plays his wife, Annette Raleigh, with a most convincing display of projectile vomiting. Greg Rambin and Magge Cabrera-Hudgins, who play Michael and Veronica Novak, respectively, will not win host and hostess of the year, but their characterizations of the Novak couple take the art of coexistence to a new level.

The production is very entertaining. While questioning the skills of parenting and marriage, these characters are realistic and make one probe the shadows of humanity in general. This adult-oriented production makes one reflect while laughing out loud.

Contact Debbie Hale at delhale@epbfi.com.