Springs Ensemble Theatre production offers plenty of laughs at humanity’s dark side

Springs Ensemble Theatre (SET) is back with God of Carnage, the Tony-winning play by Yasmina Reza. It’s the second production of SET’s 15th season,.

God of Carnage is a dark comedy that contrasts the personas we want to project with the darker instincts we may harbor. The action of the play follows the visit of Annette and Alan Raleigh to the home of Michael and Veronica Novak. It seems that the Raleigh’s son knocked out two teeth of the Novak’s son in a schoolyard scuffle.

The four adults are initially relentlessly civil and high-minded as they labor over a legalistic statement about the incident. Their behavior quickly devolves, however, to spiteful quarrelling. At first the two couples fight each other, but as the evening progresses, fueled by rum, conflict emerges within the marriages as well. The couples live up to the “Adults Behaving Badly” informal tagline that has often been associated with the play.

The play showcases the four adult characters equally. Each character has clearly defined motives and characteristics. Director Emory John Collison, Vice President of SET and a Colorado Springs theatre veteran, has orchestrated the four strong roles into an exemplary ensemble. The actors are genuinely engaged with each other, with no one trying to outshine the others.

Battle royale

SET’s cast is uniformly superior. Tiffany Dahl as Veronica Novak immediately establishes the tone of upscale ambition masquerading as high-minded liberality. Adam Stepan, playing Michael Novak, shifts easily from mellow agreeableness into unashamed enjoyment of his forbidden (by Veronica) pleasures. Matt Radcliffe brings an ebullient smarminess to the role of Alan Raleigh, a cynical lawyer tied to his incessantly ringing cell phone. Jenny Maloney’s mousey Annette Raleigh believably morphs into show-stopping tantrums.

Erik Mattson’s set design creates just the right atmosphere. The Novak’s tastefully decorated living room features works of African art, showcasing the interests of Veronica, who’s writing a book on Darfur.

Even better, the set comes to life. Three of the wall pieces are actually flat screens, whose displays change to illustrate the play’s action. For example, the screens show pictures of two boys, one with a bloodied mouth, and then Michael’s sick Mom who calls periodically for reassurance and advice. The screen changes deftly add humor and bring alive the play’s references to off-stage events and characters.

The screens also provide ironic commentary on the action, displaying dictionary definitions of some of the terms the characters use, such as “snitch” or “on purpose.” This running commentary subtly distances the audience. It encourages us to take a step back from the characters and consider with some dispassion the eventually high-octane conflict.

SET’s stage crew managed the screen changes without a hitch.

William Feight’s costume design distinctly underscores the characters’ attitudes and values. Veronica’s slinky knit sheath highlights her sophistication while also suggesting that her dedication to fashion is at least as deep as her commitment to Darfur. A Reagan/Bush ’84 ball cap completes the reveal of one character’s true sentiments.

In the end, God of Carnage isn’t quite the new and incisive commentary on human behavior to which it seems to aspire. That the savage lurks underneath the civilized is a common theme. But the SET production gives it an amusing, satirical twist. We know the characters are behaving badly, and we’re forced to admit we sometimes share their weaknesses.