Livingston Director At The Helm For 'God Of Carnage' In Morristown

LIVINGSTON, NJ — A local director is heading the Tony Award-winning play "God of Carnage," about two sets of parents trying to smooth things over after a playground scuffle, in Morristown.

Livingston resident Shanna Levine-Phelps, co-founder of Pioneer Productions, directs the show which is running from Oct. 28-Nov. 6 at Fellowship Hall in the Morristown Methodist Church.

"Playing out in real time over the course of 90 minutes, God of Carnage is a thrill ride into the most dangerous place on earth: parenthood," the news release from Pioneer says. "Following a playground altercation between two 11-year-old boys in Brooklyn’s upscale Cobble Hill neighborhood, the parents agree to meet to discuss the situation civilly. However, the veneer of polite society soon disappears (the drinking starts!), and the two couples regress to childish accusations, bullying and bickering themselves."

The cast includes Miriam Salerno of Millburn, Jon Beeler of Morristown, Leslie Darcy of Oakland, and Tom Olori of New City, N.Y.

“We’re excited to feature four talented local actors who work beautifully together to make up this tight-knit cast,” Levine-Phelps said.

This is the 17th production for Pioneer, which was founded in 2003 by Levine-Phelps, Dan Vissers, and Jon Mantes. Vissers, of Sparta, is the show's technical director. Hillsborough resident Doug McLaughlin is creative consultant on the production.

The show runs at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. on Sundays from Oct. 28 through Nov. 6. Tickets can be purchased here.

Morristown United Methodist Church is at 50 South Park Place in Morristown. This is the first show that Pioneer has put on in this location.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this production to downtown Morristown,” said Vissers. “We are so grateful to Morristown Methodist Church for the opportunity to rent space in their facility and for giving us such a warm welcome into the community here in Morristown."

"God of Carnage" won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy as well as the Tony Award for Best Play.