God of Carnage: When civilization goes out the window!

PUBLISHED October 30th, 2012 01:30 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:23 pm

‘A comedy of manners – without the manners’ is how the Singapore Repertory Theatre describes its latest production, ‘God of Carnage’, a play by Tony Award-winning playwright Yasmina Reza.

The SRT teams up with Atlantis Productions to bring to life this play about two couples who meet to discuss their sons’ recent playground squabble.  The play, which opens on the 6th November 2012 at the DBS Arts Centre  – home of the Singapore Repertory Theatre, stars Broadway famestress Lea Salonga (Veronica), our absolute favourite Adrian Pang (Michael), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Anette), and Art Acuña (Alan), and is directed by the critically-acclaimed Bobby Garcia.

God of Carnage is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening dissolving into utter chaos, where civilized behaviour gives way to ‘the God of Carnage’. As SRT puts it, it’s a “fun take on how to NOT deal with that as parents”.

We asked the cast of God of Carnage to give their input on the play:

Who do you play in GOC?

Lea: I play Veronica, the mother of the child that got struck in the face by the son of another couple. We two married couples meet to try and settle things, but everything goes awry in the most god-awful way.

 

Adrian: Michael is a passive-aggressive husband and father, who struggles to maintain a civilized veneer in the face of a tense and volatile encounter with the parents of a child who had beaten his own son. He tries his best to behave himself and resolve the dispute equitably, but in a moment of madness, snaps and sends the situation spiraling into chaos.

Menchu: I play Annette, who is quite ignored by her husband who is quite the dominating kind. She feels most of the responsibilities that deal with the home and son are left to her.

Arthur: I play Alan Raleigh. A no Bull@$%* type of guy.

Can you relate to the behaviour of the characters in the play?

Lea: Yes, I am a mother to a 6-year-old daughter. If I found out that another child struck her in the playground, I think I’d be raising hell and bloody murder. I don’t know that I possess the social requirements needed to fix this bad situation in a civil manner. I think I’d be demanding reparations.

 

Adrian: I can relate to Michael totally, but I think I would have snapped within the first three minutes!

 

Menchu: Yes, I have two children but I would never have done what she does in the play. But that is the beauty of the theatre and acting. You get to be someone else completely.

Arthur: Yes, I understand each characters motives and sensibilities from a primal point of view.

Do you agree with the premise of the play – that civilized behavior is only a veneer and underneath, we are only too ready to behave badly?

Lea: I agree that there are societal norms that we each are taught to display, and that there are base instincts that we are each encouraged to stifle, for the sake of the preservation of civilized society. All that said however, there are people that are blessed with infinite amounts of patience and politeness, and can actually figure out how to rectify a bad situation, and keep it from getting even worse. So, I’d have to say that the premise applies only to certain individuals (that civilized behaviour is but a façade), as there are those for whom civility is a norm.

 

Adrian: Absolutely. Civilised behaviour sometimes gets you nowhere!

 

Menchu: Well that depends on the person…these characters have a lot of pent up emotions and it manifests itself in the circumstance they find themselves in. But yes, a lot of times that does happen in real life.

Arthur: I don’t judge it as bad behaviour. And yes, it’s a ‘front’ because in a society–we are forced to have those veneers to co-exist peacefully.

 

What do you think will attract audiences in Singapore to this play?

Lea: Besides the performers (I mean, Adrian Pang IS a draw all by himself), I think it’s always fun to watch other people behaving badly, all the while telling yourself, “That isn’t me…” and then realizing later on that there is something in that character that rings only too true. I’m hoping that audiences enjoy the show for the kind of bracing, harsh light that it shines on civilized society. And we’re all having so much fun while doing the play, so that’s another attraction!

 

Menchu: That it is so real…you will be able to relate to at least one of the characters. It’s so incredible funny…when a script is that good, you’re already at an advantage.

Arthur: The recognition of their true submerged selves. And to see the joy of honest self-expression.

Adrian: Expect lots of very childish behaviour by four grownups, a perfect living room turned into a battleground and Lea Salonga attacking me with an F-bomb.

With all the ingredients of a sure hit, including a great script and wonderful actors, plus the chance to catch a huge musical star in her first foray in acting, we say it’s time to find out just how uncivilized things can get when the God of Carnage rules…

God of Carnage is running from Tuesday 6th – Sunday 18th November at the DBS Arts Centre, Home of the SRT, 20 Merbau Road, Robertson Walk, 239035.  Ticket prices are $70 & $60 available through SISTIC here.