AUBURN — It was supposed to be a simple and polite meeting between two sets of parents for a discussion and some constructive criticism about the fight in the park involving their young sons.

Certainly civilized adults can deal with such matters in a refined and dignified manner. What could go wrong?

Four excellent actors in Community Little Theatre’s production of “God of Carnage” take the audience on a chaotic domestic demolition derby filled with laughs. The evening begins normally enough in the up-scale home of Michael and Veronica Novak. They have just met Alan and Annette Raleigh, parents of 11-year-old Benjamin, who had whacked his playmate, Henry, in the mouth with a stick.

All four of the cast members in “God of Carnage” are popular veterans of previous CLT productions. As the fathers, Mark Hazard and Roger Philippon portray different personalities, both of which are strong representations of characteristically male attitudes. Hazard, portraying Alan Raleigh, is a lawyer for a pharmaceutical firm who can’t bear to let his cell phone out of his hand. Philippon, as Michael Novak, is a household hardware wholesaler with a determination to be practical and always under control.

The mothers are played by Cheryl Reynolds as Annette Raleigh and Michelle Vazquez Jacobus as Veronica Novak. Annette, who says her field is “wealth management,” is firm and proper. Michael’s wife, Veronica, is writing a book on Darfur, and her interests in art and world matters is showcased by some rare coffee table books. When the stressful situation brings on a case of sudden nausea for Annette, the valuable books receive the damage.

Director Richard A. Rosenberg has brought out the best of this cast’s considerable talents. In “God of Carnage,” he leads them through an extremely funny depiction of the disintegration of good intentions into total chaos

The play‘s title, “God of Carnage,“ is a very clear statement right up front, foreshadowing the inevitable devastation. It’s a normal-enough meeting of the parents for the first time on the evening of the episode in the park. After introductions, they get down to the business of sorting out the juvenile mess in an appropriately adult manner. Almost immediately, Veronica’s notes regarding the parents’ settlement of insurance and dental expenses run into trouble when she says the Raleigh boy was “armed” with a stick. From that point, it’s a sure bet that civil discussion is out the window.

There’s lots of crude language in “God of Carnage.” In this play, it has to be considered justified, given the realistic slice of life at the heart of the plot. The gutter language may be shocking, but it has an equally comedic effect where anything less would not suffice.

There’s lots of action in this show. It’s not all talk, and some of it borders on pure slapstick comedy. The characters, one after another, descend into childlike behavior.

Rosenberg’s direction is very successful in showing four different people whose reactions to the situation are different, yet all leading down a “slippery slope.”

“God of Carnage” runs about 90 minutes without intermission. It’s fast-paced and it builds to a frantic conclusion.

The play, written by Yazmina Reza, was originally in French. This English translation by Christopher Hampton reached Broadway in 2009 when it won three Tony awards.

The weekend’s blizzard conditions resulted in cancelation of the Friday and Saturday performances, so the Sunday matinee was the single show of the first weekend. CLT’s personnel deserve credit for quickly providing a large, clear parking lot for their patrons.

Remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-16 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17.

Tickets are $18 and $15. For tickets call the Box Office at 783-0958 or visit the Web site at www.laclt.com.

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