When Stage 43 was putting a program together for its 40th season, the Coquitlam theatrical company thought it was a good time to showcase its range.
It started last October with the musical romp Footloose, which was followed with the sentimental favourite Calendar Girls early in the new year.
Now, for its final production of 2022–23, Stage 43 is offering a dark comedy — a one-act play that will interest anyone who has or had children, or wants to have kids.
Titled God of Carnage, the plot centres on two sets of parents with 11-year-old boys who have fought at a public park.
Set in Brooklyn, the audience sees the couples behave at first, trying to resolve the tension between their kids; however, when they don’t see eye to eye and money gets involved, tempers flare.
Producer Claire Pinkett, who is also Stage 43’s president, told the Tri-City News that viewers will have mixed feelings throughout the quickly paced show.
They will take the side of one couple, then the other, then understand how the fathers are feeling, then the mothers.
“There are dynamic shifts during the play,” she said.
“Anybody with children can relate to this show. It really is a comment on our social norms and manners. It sparks conversation about how we raise our children and how we manage conflict.”
Written in French by Yasmina Reza and translated into English by Christopher Hampton, God of Carnage won the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy and, that same year, was named Best Play at the Tony Awards, as well as Best Actress in a Play (Marcia Gay Harden) and Best Director of a Play (Matthew Warchus); fellow cast members Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini and Hope Davis were also nominated.
Pinkett said God of Carnage is well known in the theatre world and it is the company’s entry for the Fraser Valley Zone Theatre Festival, taking place in Chilliwack from May 21 to 26.
The Stage 43 cast is made up of:
- Leona Atkinson (Annette Raleigh) of Port Coquitlam
- Dovreshin MacRae (Alan Raleigh) of Coquitlam
- Lisa Pope (Veronica Novak) of Coquitlam
- Harry Pering (Michael Novak)
“It does stretch the actors,” Pinkett said of the play.
“They all go on a journey with this show. Where the characters start is not where they end.”
Directed by Aaron Davis, God of Carnage runs at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) from April 27 to May 6. For tickets at $28/$24, call the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit stage43.org. There is a 2-for-1 pricing on adult tickets for the May 3 performance; use the discount code “COMEDY.” The play is suitable for ages 18 and up without parental guidance.
