REVIEW: God of Carnage, RAODS, The Plaza, Romsey

The black comedy starts in a civilised manner, with two couples discussing an incident between their offspring, over coffee and cake. Veronica (Jo Short) starts the proceedings, the very picture of poise and reason, supported by her husband, Michael (Peter Ward).

Alan (Nick Longland) and his wife, Annette (Clare Durham) point out the semantics of the word armed when applied to their son and discussions rumble along, with carefully placed observations and self-restraint, peppered by the infuriating and frequent ring tone of Alan’s mobile, and his splendid one-sided conversations.

The staging is simple but ideal, with the four moving around to benefit the audience with their views, literal and verbal. The entire cast were word perfect on first-night and performed with energy and conviction, fully encapsulating their characters in the rapidly deteriorating negotiations. This must be in part down to the director, Matthew Ellison, as there was no set and few props to shield the cast.

An all-round triumph.

Rebecca Case