this God of Carnage is somewhat saved by strong direction, and whether it’s supposed to be a comedy or not, it certainly does have some very funny scenes. Yasmina Reza’s themes shine through and despite the issues with the characters we can probably all recognise them, this is ultimately an enjoyable revival with a talented cast.
Read more

“Something that absolutely needs commending in ‘God of Carnage,’ though, is the incredible set design by Lily Arnold...With skilled direction from Nicholai La Barrie, the actors are able to make use of this motion, moving around the set with ease to showcase every single side of it and in doing so, every single side of the story. And, just like the set is going in circles, so too is the conversation – there is no resolution. But unlike the set, there’s not much revolution either.”
Read more

“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.”
Read more

“ ‘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.”
Read more

" ‘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."
Read more

“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.”
Read more

“...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.”
Read more

“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.”
Read more