With Fall's arrival each year, comes a new wave of hopeful hits on TV, "serious" films minus loud noises and visually stunning effects, and big stars on Broadway returning to their roots and/or showing their acting chops. One very strong and funny reason to head down to the Great White way now is to see "God of Carnage" which opened in March and took a summer vacation so that its stars could honor previous commitments. The play is back with its original cast and they're having the time of their lives.

Written by the French playwright Yazmina Reza ("Art") with an English translation by Christopher Hampton, the play focuses on two couples who meet to resolve a schoolyard fight between their two sons. We first meet them at the Cobble Hill, Brooklyn apartment of Michael (James Gandolfini, TV's Tony Soprano) and Veronica (Marcia Gay Harden, Oscar winner for "Pollack"). Michael is a wholesaler and Veronica is a writer specializing in African culture and currently working on the Darfur tragedy. They're discussing the incident that involved their son in which another boy hit their son with a stick, breaking two of his teeth. The other boy belongs to Alan (Jeff Daniels) and Annette (Hope Davis). Alan is corporate lawyer and Annette is a wealth manager. The couples attempt to strike a mutually satisfying resolution for their children's benefit and fill the conversation with enough pleasantries and sufficient hospitality. However, you know that you're moments away from a melt down. While the title of play gives it away, we see the breaking point coming; we just don't know when. The couples try to find the best wording to describe the incident, the host couple serves pretentious refreshments and the other make requests that require a little more effort. As each couple reveals more about themselves individually and as a married couple, things to start unravel. What begins as a seemingly civil conversation about teaching children how to behave, devolves into a raucous evening of bigger children who don't practice what they preach, probably because they don't know how or want to. The sides consistently shift with great comedic effect; man gang up on the women, the women gang up on the men, three gang on up one and so on. As each character feels cornered, even as part of a couple, they react with their essences slowly revealed. Rum flows and their personal ticks get louder and funnier: one bullies and then attacks like a pit bull, the self-absorbed keeps answering his cell phone while selfishly devouring clafouti. The actors are all on their game and have brilliant sense of timing under the direction of Matthew Warchus, whose command of farce is especially evident in his recent body of work. Designer (set and costumes) Mark Thompson's establishes the chaotic and unpredictable mood with blood-red walls and carpet, and minimalist furniture and accents. The play won three 2009 Tonys for Best Director (Warchus), Best Actress (Harden) and Best Play. Go to godofcarnage. com for schedule and discount ticket offers