When Yasmina Reza’s Tony-winning play God of Carnage opened on Broadway in 2009, New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley wrote: “A study in the tension between civilized surface and savage instinct, this play is itself a satisfyingly primitive entertainment with an intellectual veneer.” Savage, indeed! The drama revolves around two Brooklyn couples—Alan and Annette, and Michael and Veronica—who are meeting to discuss their children. Alan and Annette’s son, it seems, has hit Michael and Veronica’s son with a stick, resulting in two broken teeth. It doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose as the four “civilized” adults shed all semblance of etiquette to reveal their darkest sides. Juilliard’s fourth-year production of God of Carnage opens on November 4 for six performances. The Journal captured these scenes from one of the first rehearsals.