GOD OF CARNAGE
by: Yasmina Reza
The Huntington Theater Company
Sets: Dane Laffrey
Costumes: Charles Schoonmaker
Lights: Tyler Michalau
“Through deft direction, a form of social choreography, Daniel Goldstein has taken the playwright’s narrative and created a visual and verbal ebb and flow during the play. The actors move in and out, first one then another, with equal emphasis on each of them. ”
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Director Daniel Goldstein lets the frenzy build gradually, getting excellent ensemble work from Johanna Day and Stephen Bogardus as the Novaks and Christy Pusz and Brooks Ashmanskas as the Raleighs.
– Alicia Blaisdell, Cape Cod Times
God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, under the direction of Daniel Goldstein, is a sharp, contemporary comedy cum psychodrama. Goldstein orchestrates the pacing with a deft touch to nail all the humorous notes right on cue. Although the play begins slowly and proceeds in fits and starts in the early going, Goldstein and his four accomplished actors make God of Carnage careen at breakneck speed once the gloves come off.
– Nancy Grossman, Talkin’ Broadway
It all sounds pretty dramatic, but luckily translator Christopher Hampton and director Daniel Goldstein channel the straight-faced seriousness strictly for laughs. It’s a great deal of fun, with Goldstein projecting a roaming hamster to the strains of "Free to Be You and Me" before choreographing his cast to scamper over the human-sized habitrail of a set.
– Jennifer Bubriski, Edge Boston
Under the direction of Daniel Goldstein, with a talented cast, and a cleverly constructed set, Huntington Theatre Company’s production of God of Carnage is a “must-see” show of the season. Daniel Goldstein’s direction perfectly matches the twists and turns of the conflicts and utilizes all of the space, cleverly designed by Dane Laffrey, and levels with precision and distinctiveness. Furthermore, Goldstein provided an dynamic between the actors that allows the actors to fully lose control within a safely choreographed environment.
– Becca Kidwell, NETG
The current performance at the Huntington, directed by Daniel Goldstein, however, did capture me. I am not sure whether it is a result of having seen the play before and having known what to expect, whether there was some gestation in the history of the play itself that resulted in a more penetrating result, or simply whether the Huntington production was so good.
– Boston Arts Diary