Neanderthals making nice?

Cast of Arizona Theatre Company production of God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza

There’s a point in the play “God of Carnage” where things take a decided turn, but making it that far into the Arizona Theatre Company production, which I saw on opening night, took some doing. I found myself thinking, “I can’t take any more of these plays about people whining on pristine sofas.”

Soon slurs, swearing and something best left unnamed before the uninitiated start spewing forth — and the story develops at a quickening pace. Still, theater afficianonado Alan Handelsman, who was part of the first class of ASU Gammage Goer reviewers, felt “there was something missing” in the opening night performance.

Handelsman and his wife Anita saw the play a couple of years ago in New York City, and he’s got a clear preference for the NYC version’s vibe — feeling it had more “energy, commitment, rhythm, flow, surprise, pacing, abandon, arc and continuity.” Even simple prop choices, he recalls, gave the NYC production “a much greater sense of impending danger.”

Clockwise: Joey Parsons, Bob Sorenson, Amy Resnick and Benjamin Evett in the ATC production of God of Carnage

The Arizona Theatre Company production was good, says Handelsman, but not great. Despite being surrounded at the Herberger Theater Center by people laughing loud and proud, I’m afraid I have to concur. “God of Carnage” felt a bit of a letdown — perhaps because I went into it expecting so much. “God of Carnage” won the 2009 Tony Award for best play.

Other people whose opinions I respect felt differently. I saw Frances Smith Cohen, artistic director for Center Dance Ensemble, and her daughter Rachel Cohen in the theater foyer after the show, and both praised its artistry. Rachel loved “the writing and directing” and Frances “the contrast in characters.” My own theater baby Lizabeth, who has studied dance with both, would likely take their side.

We talked via “Skype” after I got home from the theater Saturday night, and Lizabeth was shocked when I shared my tepid response to the show. She saw “God of Carnage” in Chicago last year while touring colleges with my husband James. Both remember it being fabulously funny.

Lizabeth described it as “well written and well acted” — and shared that she loved watching the different characters evolve during the course of the story. Seems she was amused by just how “quickly the adults became the children.”

“God of Carnage” centers on two couples’ attempts at a civilized conversation after their sons spar on a playground. “You just don’t expect it to go as far as it does,” reflects Lizabeth. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen dad laugh that much,” she recalls. “He totally let loose.”

“Maybe.” she says, “it was his way of letting off steam after all the things that happened when we were little.” Seems she’s observed that the things we sometimes took too much to heart as young parents now fall into more perspective. “You used to take it all so seriously,” she told me. “You guys have learned to let go since then.”

The journey from kindergarden to college does effect profound changes. But the parents in “God of Carnage” have survived only grade school, and the perils of middle school are proving a bit more daunting. After meeting to discuss one boy’s use of a stick and another’s missing teeth, they demonstrate that words are perhaps the worst weapons of all.

The parents who seem so perfectly civilized to begin with soon dissolve into shreiking narcissism and nihilism, something that feels more believable once alcohol enters the picture. I hate to think any of us could trade “nice” for “Neanderthal” so quickly in its absence.

Handelsman, a highly-trained hypnotherapist, says the play reveals “how many different layers humans live in” — showing “the difference between the person we show, and the person we are, and the person we may be afraid we are.” Confronted with the final image in this production, we realize that humans haven’t evolved nearly as far as they imagine.

— Lynn

Note: This original production, directed by Rick Lombardo, is a co-production of Arizona Theatre Company and San Jose Repertory Theatre (which performs it next spring). Yasmina Reza has teamed with Roman Polanski to write the screenplay for a movie titled “Carnage,” directed by Polanski and scheduled for mid-December release. It stars Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly. Click here to learn about another opportunity to see the play performed live. Please note that “God of Carnage” contains “mature content.”

Coming up: Advice for young filmmakers, Handelsman shares his “Wicked” ways, Holiday shopping “arts and culture” style, The fine “Art” of Yasmina Reza

Photos: Tim Fuller for Arizona Theatre Company

Musings on Mr. Marmalade

Don't click here. For tickets visit http://www.venue104.com.

Normally my daughter Lizabeth is the roving reporter, seeing shows on Broadway and sharing vivid details that help me feel like I was sitting in the seat right beside her.

Most recently, it was “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” She’d had a mildly heated discussion the day before with a classmate who’d seen the show and loved it. Lizabeth felt certain it wasn’t all that swell, but had a hard time making her case having never been to the show.

Soon she’d landed a discounted ticket, and off she went. When Lizabeth called home with her “review,” her dad got to the phone first — translating her take on “Spider-Man” to me as follows: “She felt wounded to the very depths of her theatrical soul.” Not good.

Tonight I was roving reporter for Lizabeth, heading to Venue 104 in Tempe for the debut, a preview really, of their very first theater season — a series of four works starting with a dark comedy by playwright Noah Haidle, who hails from Grand Rapids but has degrees from both Princeton and Juilliard.

It’s called “Mr. Marmalade” and it’s being performed at Venue 104 Fri, Sept 16 to Sat, Oct 1 (tonight was a “pay what you can” tech/dress rehearsal). It’s a mature audience work, so you’ll want to hire a babysitter — then hope she bears no resemblance to babysitter “Emily” in the show.

I was apprehensive going into “Mr. Marmalade.” Several reviews I’d read about the “dark comedy” stressed dark over funny. It’s full of disturbing themes including abuse and suicide — but it’s one of the funniest works I’ve seen in a long time. This production is directed by Tim Shawver.

Four-year-old Lucy has imaginary friends, and spends much of her time in pretend play that mirrors the lives of the adults who populate her world. But Lucy is different than her grown-ups. She’s assertive, standing up for both herself and others instead of playing the victim.

“Mr. Marmalade” is full of playful nostalgia — with songs, toys, fashion and sayings that’ll take you right back to decades your college-age kids aren’t old enough to remember but you’re still too young to forget. Nobody would actually snort cocaine off an Etch-a-Sketch anymore. That’s so 1980s.  

Venue 104 — dubbed a “performance cafe” by owner Michael Peck — is a perfect setting for such works. Audience members sit close to stage level, so you lose that “fourth wall” feeling. The wall we sometimes build between ourselves and other theater-goers falls away as well, making performance art a communal experience it’s hard to find in larger houses.

“Mr. Marmalade,” which runs just over an hour, features a seven member cast. All are superb. The material explores some serious questions. Whether loneliness or being alone is the lesser of two evils. Why playing doctor dissolves so easily into playing house. Still, the work feels more romp than requiem.

Maybe it was all that Kidz Bop music playing before the show. I sent Lizabeth a text with the names of a couple of the songs, picturing her rolling those baby blues behind new purple glasses. Seems similar music was blasting in the common suite near her dorm room at the time. At least now she feels grateful it’s not being sung by six year olds.

— Lynn

Note: For show information or tickets, visit Venue 104 at www.venue104.com. Please remember that this is a mature content play not suitable for young audiences.

Coming up: My brief brush with “American Idol”

Starlight shares new season

Starlight Community Theater in Anthem is among just a handful of community theaters who’ve already announced their 2011-2012 season.

When I got the news, I noticed that five of the six pieces have previous film adaptations. Some are based on books, some have Broadway adaptations and one has even been adapted for radio broadcast.

In previous incarnations, they starred folks like Natalie Wood, Gene Wilder, Sarah Jessica Parker, Johnny Depp, Boris Karloff, Carol Burnett and Eddie Albert.

The 2011-2012 Starlight Community Theater season opens with “Willy Wonka” — based on a 1964 Roald Dahl book titled “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” A 1971 film adaptation starred Gene Wilder, while the 2005 version featured Johnny Depp.

I think it would be grand fun to have a “Willy Wonka” weekend. Let your kids invite some friend over to watch the films, enjoy a sleepover and hit a matinee of the Spotlight performance the next day.

The game and craft possibilities are plentiful. Think giant colored “lollypops” that spin atop long sticks. Treasure hunts for small candies. Board games like “Candyland.” An old-fashioned taffy pull. Puzzles with a candy theme. Facepainting peppermints and gumdrops on glowing cheeks.

I love the fact that kids can access these works in other ways before or after seeing the Starlight productions on stage.

They can watch both “Miracle on 34th Street” films (1947, 1994) before seeing Starlight perform “Miracle on 34th Street, the Musical” on stage. And enjoy the 2010 Disney film “Tangled” before attending the Starlight performance of “Rapunzel” (a “Jim Gradillas Kids Production”). And they can read Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princes and the Pea” before seeing the stage adaptation called “Once Upon a Mattress.”

The content is a bit more mature for two of their 2011-2012 offerings. Tweens and teens familiar with the 1980 and/or 2009 film versions of “Fame” may enjoy revisiting the movies before seeing Starlight perform “Fame!” on stage. There’s also “Arsenic & Old Lace” who those who enjoy mixing their slapstick with a good dose of dark comedy.

Stay tuned to the Starlight Community Theater website for additional details — audition dates, performance dates and more specifics on each show. Then have fun with these shows. Think birthday parties, outings with grandparents, playdates with friends.

And if one of these shows inspires your child to create a fun piece of artwork, write an original poem, perform a delightful puppet show — or craft something else fueled by his or her own creativity, I’d love to hear about it or share some photos with our readers.

— Lynn

Note: You can always send photos of your children’s music, dance and theater-inspired art to me at rakstagemom@gmail.com for possible inclusion in upcoming posts.

Coming up: More new season announcements