The God of Carnage, Megabrill Productions, directed by John Hood, Sir John Mills Theatre, Ipswich until Saturday September 21.

When their sons’ scuffle in the park ends in one of them grounded, and the other needing dental treatment, there is only one thing to be done.

The respective parents, the Vince’s and the Reece’s meet up and share coffee (and something a little stronger), as they sit down to decide what needs to be done.

Punishment, reparation... or simply someone having to say sorry?

This sensible and civilized debate sadly soon takes a turn for the worse.

The two boys may be confined to their rooms, but the parents soon reveal their own feelings, anger and prejudice.

There are tantrums and tears before bedtime as the best intentions go horribly wrong.

This dark comedy, translated from its original French, has a touch of Alan Ayckbourn to it.

You know what you mean, you are watching one of his carefully drawn comedies and suddenly recognize something of yourself in one of the characters,

Self-important, supremely confident lawyer Alan (Mike Cook) and his cool and controlled wife Annette (Petra Risbridger), are up against nervous salesman Michael (Philp Steward) and his bossy wife Veronica (Jayne Lindill).

But all is not as it seems and they soon begin to become confrontational as their reveal more of themselves.

Clearly the men are reluctant to get involved at all in the plan to `solve the problem’ while the mums are taking the sides of their sons.

And through it all there is another uncomfortable theme....what did happen to the missing hamster?

This is a painfully funny comedy.

Surely a little boy losing two teeth in a vicious assault isn’t funny?

But the parents’ reaction to it has plenty of hilarious moments,

David Vincent