Lisa LoCicero (“General Hospital”) will be starring in the Los Angeles revival of Yasmina Reza’s scathing, Tony Award-winning comedy “God of Carnage.” Scheduled for a limited three-week run at the Odyssey Theatre starting Friday, May 13 and running through Sunday, May 29, the cast also includes Matthew Downs (“Station 19” and “9-1-1: Lone Star”), Jack Esformes (“Under a Black Cloud”) and Leilani Smith.
Directed by Peter Allas, the story is inspired by a real event that takes place in real-time over the course of 90 minutes after two 11-year-old boys have a playground fight. Henry’s parents invite Benjamin’s mother and father over for cocktails, hoping to discuss the situation civilly. But the veneer of polite society quickly falls away, and the evening deteriorates into an intense and darkly funny train wreck of finger-pointing, name-calling, tantrums and tears.
“When my daughter was at Roosevelt Elementary in Santa Monica, the parents’ behavior was always far worse than that of the kids,” said Allas of his experience in dealing with situations as depicted in the production. “This play is totally on the money. I remember being at one PTA meeting about school lunches, and I couldn’t believe what was going on.”
Translated by playwright/screenwriter Christopher Hampton, “God of Carnage” nabbed both London’s Olivier Award for Best Comedy and Broadway’s Tony Award for Best Play. It hasn’t been seen locally since its 2011 run at the Ahmanson.
Performances of “God of Carnage” will take place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., May 13 through May 29. There will be one preview performance on Thursday, May 12 at 8 p.m. All tickets are $45, except the preview, which is $30. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. Parking is $5 in the onsite lot.
Note: On Sunday, May 22, there will be an understudy performance at 7:00 p.m.
For reservations and information, call (310) 477-2055, ext 2, or visit Onstage411.com/Carnage.