photo by Scott Smeltzer/SCR
Written by Patrick Chavis
God of Carnage is playing now at South Coast Repertory, Jan 23 – Mar 21, 2026.
God of Carnage is about two families in Brooklyn who meet to discuss a playground brawl and its consequences. It starts out politely before devolving into something else entirely.
Story:
In the 1970s, “Got To Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn was a hit disco song about authentic love. Lynn sang about how important it is to be real. There’s something so complementary about these two things, different art forms, created in different times with different objectives. A lot of the reasons for disco was to shake the booty. Get people moving on the dance floor and bring people together. The lyrics aren’t complicated, and they repeat over and over again. If you only read those words, Lynn is singing to you. You could miss the point, but you throw on that track, and it’s undeniable there’s something so good about that feeling of authentic love. By the end of that song, those simple lyrics grow into something way less simple, something way more profound. Even if you tuned out, at least you lost a few calories.
South Coast Repertory presents the 2026 production of ”God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza, directed by Marco Barricelli. Cast: Dan Donohue (Michael), Melinda Page Hamilton (Veronica), Derek Manson (Alan, Michael Undersudy), Kim Martin-Cotton (Annette), Brian Vaughn (Alan), Paige Lindsey White (Annette, Veronica Understudy). Segerstrom Stage, January 23 – March 21, 2026
More Thoughts:
The feel is in the performance, and feeling is such a big part of the human experience. God of Carnage is like a good disco song. It’s playing so many of the same notes over and over again, but you can’t ignore it. It’s focused on something quite different from authenticity; it’s focused on “To Be Fake,” a song title I invented on the spot. (If it is the title of a real song, that was purely a coincidence.) While being fake is universal, I think this is an inherent quality that shows up across cultures and relationships.
It especially shows up in a world where it could be a matter of safety or power. How fakery is displayed is in God of Carnage’s, the lyrics (the play) are just a little too simple to really encompass the depth that is humanity. This play has such high aims, but neither the play nor the performances really reach them. That being said, on the way down, it does strike plenty of good chords.
Sound Design/Acting:
Some of those really strong chords were the sound textures used at the beginning and end of the play from Sound Designer Melanie Chen Cole. The sounds come at you strongly and promptly and set the tone for the rest of the play. The shocking start took my breath away. The obnoxious telephone sounds also become a part of the play’s story.
This play is so difficult to pin down because it’s easy to go way too far into the chaos of the situation. I think it goes too far and isn’t as effective as it could be. Veronica (Melinda Page Hamilton) is the wife of Michael (Dan Donohue). Hamilton seems to find that line every single time, and her performance in this part is made that much funnier. It’s her little jabs, the quick inserts that spark conflict. It seemed so effortlessly played.
While its comedic elements do entertain for quite a bit of the play, at 80 minutes, the play didn’t need to go any longer.
Note: God of Carnage, another appropriate title – Thanksgiving 🙂 Every single year.
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Last modified: February 7, 2026
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