The God of Carnage, now running at the Lyric Hammersmith is a re-staging of the award-winning play by Yasmina Reza. The play explores the tensions and undertones at a meeting between two sets of parents after one son has hurt the other.
A strong and appealing cast has been pulled together with Freema Agyeman (Dr Who), Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), Dinita Gohil (The Sandman) and Michael Novak (Small Island at the National).
The Lyric programme promises both electrifyingly dark and vicious comedy but, sadly, this production does not make good on that promise. Any laughs from the audience were extremely tentative and unconfident – they were not sure whether this was a comedy at all.
The pace was too slow so any verbal punches or repartee fell short and many lines felt over-staged as a result.
Set designer Lily Arnold has built a revolving stage which she says helps us see the action from different perspectives. I felt, in fact, this staging was inexcusable. Important lines were delivered with actors facing the back or obscured by props. A scene where the actors were clearing a table was, for my side of the stalls, completely hidden behind a sofa.
The pacing and staging made this a very difficult and unedifying watch. A real waste of great actors and a strong script.
Have you seen God of Carnage? Let me know your thoughts below.
Red Bus Londinium Life 
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