The play God van de slachting, written by Yasmina Reza, is currently running at Platform – Bernaers in Antwerp until November 7. The production transforms a mundane dispute between children into 90 minutes of “verbal fireworks” as the parents involved fail to maintain their civilized facades.
A Conflict Over Childhood Violence
The plot is inspired by a real-life incident from Reza’s own environment. The story begins when a fight between two children escalates, resulting in Ferdinand hitting Bruno in the face with a stick and damaging two of Bruno’s incisors. To resolve the situation, the parents of Ferdinand visit the parents of Bruno to handle insurance paperwork and settle the matter.
Escalation and Social Friction
While the meeting starts calmly, the tension rises when Veronique (Lien Thys) and Michel (Jonas Van Geel) invite Annette (Ini Massez) and Alain (Stany Crets) for coffee and homemade clafoutis. This hospitality provides an opening for the couples to dwell on the incident, exposing deep ideological divides. Veronique, acting as a “world improver,” insists that Ferdinand must apologize based on her views of proper norms and values, while Ferdinand’s parents prefer not to interfere in children’s quarrels.
The Breakdown of Civility
Despite attempts to remain “calm, quiet and reasonable,” underlying frustrations eventually surface. The situation deteriorates further when an attempt to soothe the tension with a bottle of rum instead “pours oil on the fire.” The conflict culminates in physical and verbal chaos, including an incident involving vomiting on a Kokoschka, as the four adults reveal their own “damaged and rotten” natures. The play highlights the personal voids of the characters, such as Veronique’s feelings of worthlessness and Michel’s transition from a childhood gang leader to a boring father selling door handles and cooking pots.