Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*

[LesMiz24601]

Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#1

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:36pm

Okay before anyone starts shooting death threats on this thread please understand my intent.

I was very excited about seeing God of Carnage. It won best Play, Marcia Gay Harden won for her role...its run has been extended, AND it's selling out WITH STANDING ROOM every week. I was ready for an unbelievable show. In the end I thought the acting was A+ but the plot was weak. I laughed my head off sometimes, but other times...the show dragged, and was quite boring. The ending I felt was absolutely pointless...

Is there ANYONE who was disappointed, or felt Carnage was just okay...(and plese don't say the acting was amazing, because it truly was...but in my opinion is not the ONLY factor in an award winning play)

[Scarywarhol]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#2

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:40pm

I saw it in previews with a third empty house and thought it was fun. With the ridiculous amount of hype it has received since then, there's no way this can be anything other than a massive disappointment. It's just a well-written sitcom episode with a good cast.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#2

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:47pm

I was disappointed by the writing for sure. REASONS TO BE PRETTY deserved to win Best Play. CARNAGE was entertaining and enjoyable but REASONS was a much more noteworthy piece of writing.

For me, CARNAGE was memorable mainly (if not solely) for its quartet of great performances.

[BroadwayBound062]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#3

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:54pm

I think it was just to much hype around the show so of course you are going to be somewhat dissapointed...

Genius lasts longer than beauty.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#4

Posted: 8/2/09 at 5:28pm

Nope, because for me the performances made up for anything wrong in the writing. And also because I only paid 25$ to see it, so I was very pleased.

[Lumen2]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#5

Posted: 8/2/09 at 5:40pm

Nope. Because Yasmina Reza's writing is not brash or obvious. She takes a relatively simple premise to illustrate hypocrisy in the mores of society and general human relationships. In addition, she structured it very well so most of it felt natural while appearing effortless. I thought it well deserved the Tony.

[Scarywarhol]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#6

Posted: 8/2/09 at 5:42pm

I thought it was well written, but not up to par with Reza's Life x 3 and definitely not Art.

[Lumen2]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#7

Posted: 8/2/09 at 5:51pm

I agree with you on Art, but I couldn't stand Life x 3. It was like a Beta-version of Carnage.

[ABB2357]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#8

Posted: 8/2/09 at 6:28pm

I haven't seen the play (only read it), but my impression was that it was a bit empty and lacking any real depth. That said, I can totally see how a powerfully staged production with four great actors would make up for any obvious flaws in the text.

In terms of the writing alone, I too thought REASONS TO BE PRETTY deserved Best Play, and I am not a regular LaBute fan by any means.

[After Eight]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#9

Posted: 8/2/09 at 6:32pm

I too thought it was just ok. Amusing, no more. The actors were splendid.

As for the author's other works, I liked "Art"-- again, nothing great, though-- and hated "Life x 3" and "A Spanish Play."

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#10

Posted: 8/2/09 at 7:22pm

It's an okay play. There's nothing particularly relevant about it, I thought. I don't think that as written on the page it would be particularly hilarious either (or maybe it is, I haven't read it), like say AUGUST: OC and DOUBT have a lot of funny moments even as you read it. However, I think the production at the Jacobs is absolutely perfection. I think it features some of the best acting and best chemistry on Broadway at the moment. It's hard to pull off comedy, specially this type of comedy, and I think the four actors do a great job. It helps that they have developed an insane amount of chemistry among the four of them, especially I think Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden kill during their scenes, they are a riot together! MAME concert anyone?
I didn't see the other new plays so I'm not sure if I'd have voted for CARNAGE. I agree the writing is somewhat disappointing. I wouldn't say I was bored though, but I will say that at the end I was ready for it to be over. I too thought that the ending was not what it could have been, I also wish the play had ended with Marcia Gay Harden's question instead of having the James Galdofini character answer it.
I will say that Hope Davis' brilliant comedic performance along with Marcia Gay Harden's Tony-winning turn were completely worth the $100+ I paid to see it. I will say that I thought Davis was as good as Harden.

"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

[jansal]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#11

Posted: 8/2/09 at 7:44pm

I actually just read it, and wasn't particularly taken with it. I suppose it's one of those things you really need to see live.

[singtopher]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#12

Posted: 8/2/09 at 10:53pm

I didn't think there was anything to write home about, save for the direction. I'm glad I went because if I didn't I would have been upset I never got a chance to see the show. (I'll be out of town all fall) Now that I'd seen it, I don't know why everyone was in such a rush.

"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert

[bwayfan7000]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#13

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:31am

I just got finished reading it. I think the comedy was especially sharp, but I enjoyed reading it the most when really imagining Harden, Davis, etc really getting laughs on these lines. The writing itself is somewhat weak, but I would imagine watching four actors deliver this rapid-fire comedy would make it worth it.

"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim

[dramamama611]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#14

Posted: 8/3/09 at 9:34am

I liked it. A lot. But I didn't think it was superb. Not even close. I found it difficult to understand most of Ganolfini's lines and didn't believe in their relationship.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[once a month]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#15

Posted: 8/3/09 at 10:58am

I saw it the weekend the Tony nominations came out, and I was extremely underwhelmed. I had 5th row orch, and I had a lot of trouble understanding Galdofini (I wasn't the only one, I kept hearing "what'd he say" throughout). To be honest, since seeing it, I've barely given it a thought until now. I certainly did not leave the theatre in the same giddy mood as I had after M Butterfly, Indiscretians, Equus, August: Osage County,The Goat or Who Is Sylvia, Nicholas Nickleby, Love Valour Compassion or even Take Me Out.

It's a crowd pleaser, but for the life of me I can't figure out why!
Updated On: 8/3/09 at 10:58 AM

[bjh2114]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#16

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:00pm

I've never gotten the appeal for the play. The performances were great (though I honestly enjoyed 2 far more than the others and was underwhelmed by the other 2), but the play itself left much to be desired for me. There wasn't a whole lot of substance to grab on to. And while that isn't a requisite for a play, I certainly didn't leave the theatre any more interested in anything than when I had entered. Nothing peaked my interest in the slightest. I thought Reasons was written better... but for me honestly the best "new" Broadway plays of the season in terms of writing were The American Plan and 33 Variations. I was upset that American wasn't even nominated, and 33 Variations was a stunning production of what I found to be a very thought provoking work.

[singtopher]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#17

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:05pm

It's a crowd pleaser, but for the life of me I can't figure out why!

It's a crowd pleaser because we are told thats what it is.

"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert

[dramamama611]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#18

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:12pm

Because people truly believe that if they know who you are that means you are doing a great job.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[wickedfan]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#19

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:20pm

Or people actually LIKE it. Who knows? It's a funny world we live in where a play can be a crowd pleaser because actually enjoy it. I enjoyed it. It's a solid comedy that is given a fantastic production by Matthew Warchus (a Tony Award well earned). The dialogue is witty, the staging inspired and the acting fantastic. It's not groundbreaking nor is it really deep. These are shallow characters, so when they "bare their souls" later in the play, it's more comedic than moving because there's not much for these characters to bare. It's entertainment. It's a mainstream piece that is actually well crafted. Too many works these days that are aimed for mass-appeal are crap. When something made for mass-appeal actually IS good, the public flocks to it.

"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#20

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:39pm

I'm with wickedfan. I think this is a superb production, and that is why it is pleasing the crowds, God knows it pleased me. Warchus' staging is as good as his work on BOEING-BOEING last year, a play that I found even less unfunny than CARNAGE but that I thought received A-class treatment from Warchus. Galdofini was my least favorite, but I think in part it's because the play itself gives the men such little complexities as compared to the female characters, so at the end I do think the women are allowed to give a bravura comedic tour-de-force while the men are pretty static. While the Best Play award tends to go to the best-written play, remember that it's an award that is also given to the producers for the whole production. I didn't get to see the other new plays so I don't know if CARNAGE was deserving or not, but perhaps the voters voted for the production as a whole.

"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

[Sauja]

re: Was ANYONE dissapointed with God of Carnage? *Possible Spoilers*#21

Posted: 8/3/09 at 12:44pm

I thought the play was an absolute blast. After hearing so many people say that it was too thin and shallow for all the hype, I actually found myself very impressed by the relative subtlety of the writing and the depth that the performers pulled out of it. I laughed long and hard and left very happy. I confess that I too only paid $25. At $110, I might have been less thrilled.