Comedy with cutting edge

Tim Eardly, left, Sue Morrison, Ian Stabler and Liz Carrington are gearing up for opening night.

A vicious fight between two boys sparks a verbal war between parents in the black comedy stageplay God of Carnage.

Originally a French play, Le Dieu du Carnage, God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza is given a local twist by Rotorua director Richard Rugg.

After two boys scrap it out in the playground, the parents of the victim invite the parents of the bully over to work out their issues. What starts out as a polite conversation over child rearing soon escalates into verbal warfare.

Mr Rugg said he had never seen the show before but was drawn to the subject matter.

"I was always interested to see how it played out and when I got the chance to read the play I knew it would be a lot of fun to bring to Rotorua."

Mr Rugg said the audience could expect a "surprisingly fun night" when seeing the play.

"Some people might think the subject matter will scare them off but it is surprisingly funny and changes have been made to the original screenplay to add some local flavour."

The Rotorua production has a cast line-up of experienced local actors, Sue Morrison, Ian Stabler, Liz Carrington, and Tim Eardly. Mr Rugg said the comedy came from the individual wants of each parent involved. "It's those different wants of each parent clashing that creates a lot of the comedic tension."

God of Carnage opens at the Shambles Theatre tonight and runs until July 19.

Evening shows start at 8pm and there is a matinee session at 2pm this Sunday.

Tickets are available now at the Shambles Theatre, adults $26, RLT members $20, seniors $23, and students with ID $15.

Details
What: God of Carnage
Where: Shambles Theatre
When: From tonight to july 19
Cost: From $15 to $26