Hampton Theatre Company Closes 29th Season with GOD OF CARNAGE, Now thru 6/8

The all-too-thin veneer of tolerance and civility is first frayed and then comically shredded when two sets of parents attempt to discuss an altercation between their sons in Yasmina Reza's "God of Carnage," the Hampton Theatre Company's final production of the 2013-2014 season, running from tonight, May 22 to June 8 at the Quogue Community Hall.

Translated from the original French by Christopher Hampton, the London production of "God of Carnage" won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2009, and the Broadway production won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play.

The modern-day drawing room comedy of bad manners is set in the Brooklyn apartment of Michael and Veronica Novak, whose son, Henry, has had two teeth knocked out by Benjamin Raleigh at a nearby playground. Benjamin's parents, the well-to-do Alan and Annette Raleigh, have come to work out the proper response to this incident, and none of the four supposed adults suspects that they are entering a battlefield that will bring out the childish very worst in all of them.

All four roles in "God of Carnage" are played by HTC regulars. Joe Pallister, on the Quogue stage most recently in "The Foreigner," plays Michael Novak, a housewares wholesaler and the father of Henry. Michael's wife, Veronica, a socially conscious writer who works in an art bookstore, is played by Jessica Ellwood, whose most recent role for the HTC was Teresa Phillips in last spring's "How the Other Half Loves."

Andrew Botsford, last seen on stage in "How the Other Half Loves" and the director of the January production of "Heroes," has the role of cell phone obsessed corporate attorney Alan Raleigh. Rosemary Cline, another member of the "How the Other Half Loves" cast and one of the original members of the company, plays his wife, Annette, a composed and collected wealth management consultant with a delicate stomach.

HTC Artistic Director Diana Marbury designed the set and directs. Lighting is by Sebastian Paczynski and costumes by Teresa LeBrun.

"God of Carnage" is the second play by Yasmina Reza to be produced by the HTC, which staged the playwright's "Art," also translated by Christopher Hampton, in 2011.

Called a "shifting ballet of emotions and loyalties" by Ben Brantley in The New York Times, "God of Carnage" was described as a "hilarious yet surprisingly thoughtful comedy" by the Associated Press, and regional productions across the country have won rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

"God of Carnage" runs at the Quogue Community Hall from today, May 22 through June 8, with showtimes on Thursdays and Fridays at 7, Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2:30. The Hampton Theatre Company will once again be offering special dinner and theater packages in collaboration with the Southampton, Westhampton Beach, Hampton Bays and Quogue libraries. Complete information about the dinner and theater packages is available on the company website, www.hamptontheatre.org, or through the libraries.

To reserve show tickets, visit www.hamptontheatre.org, or call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111.

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