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Full casting announced for revival of GOD OF CARNAGE at Lyric Hammersmith

Full casting has been announced for the revival of Yasmina Reza’s savagely dark comedy God of Carnage, in a translation by Christopher Hampton, which won both the Tony and Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2009, and plays at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 1-30 September.

Making her Lyric stage debut is Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, BBC) as Veronique Vallon, alongside Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials, BBC) as Alain Reille, Dinita Gohil (The Father and the Assassin, National Theatre) as Annette Reille, and Martin Hutson (Small Island, National Theatre) as Michel Vallon.

With her sharp corrosive wit, Yasmina Reza rips the thin veneer of civility with heart-pounding honesty. God of Carnage is the unmissable darkly funny roller-coaster you won’t want to end.

When 11 year old Ferdinand knocked 11 year old Bruno’s two front teeth out. Their parents meet up to have a civil conversation about the misdemeanours of their children in a suitably calm and rational way... what can go wrong? As night falls chaos ensues with explosive tantrums, name-calling and tears.

God of Carnage is directed by Nicholai La Barrie, with design by Lily Arnold, lighting by Richard Howell, sound and composition by Asaf Zohar, and casting by Heather Basten CDG.

Nicholai La Barrie said: “God of Carnage pokes fun at wealth, power and money. It lifts the lid on civility which is immensely funny to watch. I couldn’t be luckier to be joined by some of the UK’s most phenomenal actors, including Freema Agyeman, Ariyon Bakare, Dinita Gohil and Martin Hutson. I can’t wait to see this stellar cast breathe new meaning and relevance into these already iconic roles. From the moment I read this play, I imagined it to be a reflection of the cosmopolitan cities that we live in.

“We’re obsessed with the idea of social respectability, good manners and behaving in a civilised way. But what happens when those people who declare themselves as respectable, act in the very opposite way? God of Carnage will feel like sweet revenge for audiences. You’ll recognise these characters, and you’ll revel in their carnage.”

Freema Agyeman, actor playing Veronique Vallon said: “I am beyond thrilled to be returning to the London stage, and where better than the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, with its incredible history and tradition - a space where consistently solid, inclusive and high calibre work is created and shared. I’m also happy to be staying in the genre of dark comedy post Dreamland - God of Carnage made me gasp and guffaw in equal measure! I look forward to performing in this play alongside the fantastic cast and am very excited to be working with director Nicholai La Barrie whose enthusiasm is infectious!”

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