– By Cate Marquis –
Bucking the trend of musicals and light comedy that summer seems to bring, New Jewish Theater’s “God of Carnage” offers drama and darker humor as two sets of parents meet to discuss an incident of schoolyard violence between two boys. What starts out as a cool-headed and reasonable discussion between civilized adults about what should be done after one boy hit the other, knocking out a couple of teeth, eventually devolves into something far different as the “god of carnage” raises his bloody head.
The increasingly wild, Tony-winning “God of Carnage” is the work of French Jewish playwright Yasmina Reza, who was inspired by an incident at her son’s school. Directed by Gad Guterman, it is a fitting follow-up to NJT’s marvelous 2026-2027 season opener, “A Prayer for the French Republic,” about a multi-generational French Jewish family in Paris. This new season is off to a rocketing start, with the promise of the same remarkably strong showing as last year’s season.
The 11-year-old boys’ fight took place in a nearby park, after one boy said something insulting to the other, prompting him to pick up a stick and hit the first boy in the face. The parents of the boy who did the hitting have already agreed that they will pay for medical care and that hitting is wrong, but the other parents still want to talk. So Annette (Bridgette Bassa) and Alan Raleigh (Nick Freed) dutifully go to the apartment of Veronica (Christina Rios) and Michael Novak (Joel Moses) to have a discussion about what happened between their two boys.
These two couples are very different, even if they live in the same upscale New York neighborhood. Alan Raleigh is a high-powered lawyer who is nearly constantly on his phone, particularly now that a client, a drug/biochemical company, is embroiled in a potentially disastrous situation involving a product. Annette is in wealth management, although a lot of that is Alan’s wealth. Michael Novak is the founder of a production company that manufactures a host of household products, while Veronica is non-fiction writer, now working on a book about Darfur.
The Novaks seem more progressive than the Raleighs, with the Raleighs quickly willing to call their son, who struck the blow, a hooligan or some such. The Raleighs are more than ready to issue an apology and move on, although they dodge the question of how sorry their son is, while the Novaks are more interested in getting to the heart of what started the fight. The parents’ differing views on what needs to take place to put this behind them are part of what sparks the later fireworks.
And it does get fiery – and funnier as it goes, with all the crazy coming out. As the talk continues, other topics. like sexism, racism and homophobia, come up, as the adults descend into childishness of a breath-taking level.
“God of Carnage” is a play that shows how thin the layer of “civilized” behavior can be when otherwise reasonable adults find themselves in conflict, particularly where their respective children are concerned. That is an irony that the New Jewish Theater’s firecracker of a production leans into, as director Guterman leads us step-wise down this rabbit hole, laced with humorous moments and exposing cracks in both marriages and espoused attitudes. The result is a laugh-out-loud show that delivers on all levels.
Other productions of this play that this reviewer has seen have not had the high energy and comic gold that director Gad Guterman finds in this one. He is greatly aided by the crackling good cast of couples Bridgette Bassa and Nick Freed and Christina Rios and Michael Novak as the Raleighs and the Novaks respectively.
The acting is marvelous, with each of the actors creating uniquely fascinating but crazy characters once they shed the skin of decorum. It all begins with an apartment decorated with tulips, the last of the season, and the gracious offer of a sweet cake. Emotional upset leads to more physical upset, and when the booze comes out, and cigars, all rules fall away.
It is crazy but great fun, as things go breathlessly wild, and the audience finds themselves doubled over with laughter. In the end, a phone call from a child brings all the childishness into focus, sending the chagrined adults creeping away to various corners, and the audience released into the night, after a night of laughs and food for thought.
NJT’s “God of Carnage” is an outstanding way to embrace the coming heat of summer, with laughs and something to contemplate, one of a few that are kicking off summer with something other than another return of a familiar musical. It is a theatrical treat to be savored with summer’s start.
New Jewish Theater’s “God of Carnage” is on stage at the Jewish Community Center’s Staenberg Family Complex theater, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., Creve Coeur, MO, through June 28, 2026.
© Cate Marquis
