Angelica Alejandro brings her captivating and complex presence to the role of Annette Raleigh in the Toronto Stage Company’s production of God of Carnage, by French playwright Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Mark Datuin. Through her portrayal, Alejandro invites audiences to witness the intricate dynamics of human behaviour and the unraveling of civility in the face of conflict. Presented by Mirvish Productions, God of Carnage is on stage at the CAA Theatre until May 28. Rounding out the cast are Luke Marty as Alan Raleigh, Michael Novak as Jarrod W. Clegg and Amy Slattery as Veronica Novak.
God of Carnage received both the Tony Award for Best Play 2009 and the Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Billed as “a comedy of manners without the manners,” the volatile and uproarious comedy begins when a skirmish between two 11-year-old boys on a Brooklyn playground catalyzes a meeting between their parents to settle the dispute. At first, they maintain polite and diplomatic behaviour. However, as their discussion progresses and the alcohol flows, the couples shed pretenses – revealing cracks in their liberal values and causing damage to their relationships.
Alejandro came to acting through her father’s love of movies. As an only child, she found solace and inspiration in the power of storytelling – abetted mainly by the “better than a video store” film collection of her “very encouraging dad”. Bonding with him over their shared love of films and television shows, she developed a profound appreciation for the transformative impact of narrative: “I was in awe of how those stories, people, and places made me feel and affected me,” Alejandro recalls. And those feelings only intensified when she first became part of a story: ”The first time I performed in front of people, it was both thrilling and scary. I remember seeing people’s faces and seeing their reactions. You could not wipe the smile from my face – I loved being up there in front of everyone, performing and connecting with them.”
But Alejandro’s journey into the world of professional performance was not an entirely straight line. For a time, she was holding down a full-time job in business and dedicating her spare time to acting classes. Eventually, her passion and determination prompted her to end this corporate detour to enter the acting profession. And it wasn’t long before she achieved significant milestones in her career: booking her first commercial, securing representation from an agent, and laying groundwork for future success – which arrived in 2013, when Alejandro landed a breakthrough role alongside actor Simu Liu in the independent film Kung Fu Cops.
The same year, she secured a part in another independent production called Six Degrees Without Separation, an ensemble domestic drama weaving together the lives of six individuals who become unexpectedly intertwined, thanks to fortuitous circumstances. Since then, she has continued to showcase her talents in notable shows like The Boys (Amazon Prime), The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), and What We Do In the Shadows (FX).
In God of Carnage, Alejandro portrays Annette Raleigh. Annette wears a mask to hide her true feelings, but as the play unfolds, her façade begins to crumble. Alejandro believes “we all have aspects of her within us. It isn’t easy pretending to be something you are not, or doing something that does not make you happy”. And Alejandro empathizes so much with the character’s struggles that she feels a profound desire to help her: “If we met in real life, I would be great as Annette’s psychiatrist”. When she was offered the role, she leapt at the opportunity: “Being in the company of so many great people I admire, and given an opportunity to step into this character, is a feeling I wish I could put into words. I am so excited and honoured to have the chance to play Annette.”
Bringing God of Carnage to Toronto’s diverse audiences holds special significance for Alejandro. Although the story is set in New York, the characters transcend geography, and Alejandro is confident that audience members will recognize parts of themselves not only in Annette, but in other characters, such as Veronica, Alan, and Michael, and the pressures they experience: “We often find ourselves in circumstances – whether through our own doing or something that is forced on us – and over time, it affects us to our breaking point.” The play examines the infantilizing nature of such conflict: “We all like to believe that, as adults, we try to be mature. But the veneer of civility can disappear, resulting in mature adults letting loose and becoming children themselves” Audiences can expect to experience the full range of human interactions – “the good, the bad, the ugly, and the comically awkward – in this case study of “the fragility of civility and the swift changes in alliances among individuals.”
Outside of her stage and screen roles, Alejandro values self-care and stresses the importance of nurturing one’s inner light – something she does for herself in two distinct, yet complementary, ways. Through cooking and yoga, she savours moments of relaxation and rejuvenation. And through activities like rappelling down the side of a mountain for a role, she embraces thrills that get her heart racing.
God of Carnage – with its resonant characters and viscerally recognizable conflicts – is primed to get the hearts of Toronto audiences racing. Theatregoers should not miss the opportunity to experience Alejandro’s complex turn as Annette – and to face for themselves the unsettling implications and insights that it will prompt. .
God of Carnage runs until May 28, 2023 at the CAA Theatre. Reserve tickets on mirvish.com.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2023
