“...Nicholai La Barrie’s production, while well done with what he has to work with and capably performed, doesn’t make a convincing case for why this play, which is far from a great piece of writing, should be revived.”
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“After seeing this production of ‘God of Carnage’ at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, maybe I’m persuaded that this truly is the most chaotic ‘Carnage’ of them all – proving that the pen is mightier than the sword, the most bite comes from the venom of Reza’s characters. Despite coming in at 90 minutes without an interval, it moves so fast that you barely realise the time as it reaches its climax as ‘God of Carnage’ lets rip in the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, a true delight for those of us who revel in the depths of a pitch-black dark comedy.”
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“ ‘God of Carnage’ is a heavily concept-driven play, with a wonderful set design and talented cast. While at times the plot can feel as though it is moving slowly, overall, this is an interesting watch that reflects the state of our world, leaving the audience with much to reflect on.”
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" ‘God of Carnage’ has had its day as a global phenomenon. But it’s still worth a revival, and it’s hard to imagine that Reza’s nihilistic but – let’s be honest – bang-on observations on human selfishness will ever lose their relevance."
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“A surprisingly strained night, then, which confirms there’s no easy path to box-office salvation: no matter how tried and tested the fare, there’s no such thing as a safe-bet.”
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“The comedy is both flattened and over-signalled. The desire to shock – including one word used savagely and out of the blue – has no justification in anything that has been built before. The most interesting thing on stage is the way that Richard Howell’s string of lights fall gently to the floor, surrounding Lily Arnold’s revolving stage, turning it into an arena. But within that circle of human conflict, both play and production fail to reveal anything much.”
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“...director Nicholai La Barrie’s approach plays things pretty straight. The biggest choice here is the acting style: it’s big and oh-so-mannered, something that works in the later slapstick scenes but just feels a bit painful in the early moments.”
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“La Barrie’s production never quite finds that precision. It’s like someone playing the drums and never quite hitting the metronome beat.Then, surprisingly, things come alive in the final stretch...and suddenly Reza’s play proves more potent than ever: it’s social media writ small, four people at their absolute worst saying whatever the hell they want.”
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