I realized after I saw God of Carnage that Yasmina Reza also wrote Art. It put my experience in perspective because I had the exact same reaction to this production that I did to Art. Before I saw both of these plays, I thought they looked right up my alley...they have small casts, contemporary settings, and plotlines that are so simple & intriguing that the play's commentary has to be weighty & important. But at the end of the play, the simple plotline remained very simple. The script just lacked the essential element of enrichment & thought-provocation. Not to say it was pointless. There is something important about actually acknowledging the serious frustrations that erupt from the mundane problems of real life. There can be poetry & purpose found in cleaning up the messes of every day life. I just wish that poetry & purpose had been infused more heavily in the script.
In a quadrangle of a play, it is difficult to truly critique the actors unless they have strikingly varying skill sets. All four actors were sharply-tuned, charasmatic, & fully invested in their roles. To create a strong, 4-person ensemble (absent of a weak link) is a feat to be applauded.
The theatre was beautiful.
The actors were impeccable.
The point of the production....I'm not so clear on.
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