God of Carnage revival to star Freema Agyeman, Ariyon Bakare and more

Full casting has been revealed for the upcoming new staging of Yasmina Reza’s dark comedy God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton.

Set to appear in the new revival, directed by Nicholai La Barrie, are Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who) as Veronique Vallon, alongside Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), playing Alain Reille, Dinita Gohil (The Father and the Assassin) as Annette Reille and Martin Hutson (Small Island) as Michel Vallon.

The play follows two couples who come together for a meeting after their sons have an altercation at school

La Barrie said today: “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.”

Agyeman added: “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!“

The piece is designed by Lily Arnold, with lighting by RIchard Howell, sound design and composition by Asaf Zohar and casting by Heather Basten.

It runs from 1 to 30 September.