Let’s Try Again (God of Carnage)

Let’s try again? Perhaps just one more time? Who hasn’t found themselves in a situation like that? We keep trying and hoping that at last we’ll succeed. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it only gets us in deeper, as happened to the heroes of this comedy, which became a worldwide hit. The play “Let’s Try Again” is based on “God of Carnage” by the renowned French playwright Yasmina Reza. This subtle black comedy brought its author numerous prestigious awards, and the play is still staged around the world.

The comedy portrays an everyday situation that many of us will easily recognise. One afternoon, two educated couples meet to discuss a fight between their children, during which one boy had a tooth knocked out. The children’s parents—the Houillé and Reille families—try to resolve the conflict in a supposedly civilised way, finding a settlement acceptable to everyone. At first, their polite and cultured conversation gradually takes on a sharper tone: with each attempt to understand one another, tension between the families and within the couples themselves grows. Halfway through the meeting, coffee is replaced by rum, and the hatred, dissatisfaction and even aggression concealed beneath the couples’ polished, respectable exterior comes to the surface. The couples begin hurling not only accusations, irrational arguments, and sexist and homophobic insults, but also whatever objects happen to be within reach. A planned meeting of civilised adults ends in childishly uncontrollable chaos.

Although at first glance the comedy’s subject seems quite simple, domestic and even rather banal, it actually conceals many themes and deeper layers of meaning. The comedy’s greatest achievement is its humour: not heavy-handed, but intelligent and very astute, with a light touch of irony, delivered on stage with charm and restraint by a talented quartet of actors. Critics agree that Y. Reza’s subtle, incomparable humour satisfies even the most discerning audience. So it is no surprise that this audience-favourite comedy is returning to our theatre with a refreshed cast and the somewhat self-ironic title “Let’s Try Again.”

Premiere: 14 and 15 April 2012. Revived: 2022. Funded by: