Exploring the set of “God of Carnage”

The first thing that you’ll notice as an audience member about the God of Carnage set, according to Lenore Brooks, is how much there is. “And then, you’ll see something and be like, ‘I really like that bit’.”

Lenore is the set designer for God of Carnage, and has served in that role for many past productions; she says this is the most detailed set she’s done since 2016’s Book of Esther. Her collaborator on Carnage is Sarah Thompson, who’s also running props for the show — the two departments meet in the middle for set dressing and decor.

The vision for the set is highly realist in style, maximalist in scope — a departure from the playwright’s direction that suggests no representational elements on stage. The set represents a single room in a house, and one that’s made for show: a sitting area in front of a massive gallery wall. This puts one character’s choices on display: Veronica, the lady of the house.

“Veronica has good taste,” Lenore explains, “but she’s a trend-chaser, and she doesn’t have a sense for how to combine different elements.” The result is a massive agglomeration of artworks and ornamentation in a half-dozen styles, all out at once and fighting for space with no guiding aesthetic. Veronica’s husband Michael doesn’t have as much impact on the room — “maybe the window treatments”.

“Pseudo-intellectual maximalist,” Sarah agrees. “Veronica doesn’t quite understand that vomiting all of those things into her decor to generate an ode to her perceived status balanced with the homey touch of a ‘live, laugh, love’ sign is not giving the affluent opulence she thinks it is.”

It’s also interesting to see what’s not included in the set: no children’s toys at all, and no books other than coffee-table volumes… which seems unusual for a writer with two kids. “It’s a receiving room,” Lenore explains, that Veronica uses to project her desired image to guests; merely functional spaces would be elsewhere in the house. (But Veronica isn’t as sophisticated as she’d like to believe — when you see the show, take a close look at some of the art on the wall.)

One more thing that you’ll notice are different animal patterns, mostly on fabric elements: zebra-stripe cushions, a cow-spot throw, and a magnificent carpet depicting two tigers. These are a nod to director Ryan Bassett’s theme: People are Animals. “They’re purposely clashing patterns to make the set seem just a little uncomfortable to look at and be in,” Sarah explains. “The carpet is the reason that the coffee table is glass,” Lenore adds: to make sure that it could be clearly seen.

“I’m particularly proud of how things are coming together and how we have been able to really make the vision come to life in a very satisfying way,” says Sarah. Lenore agrees that it’s been a fruitful collaboration: “way more fun than any set I’ve done solo.”