We live in times where it is hard to know what to believe, where politicians tell us black is white and friends reveal unexpected eccentricities in social media posts.
Despite now being 30 years old, Yasmina Reza’s play Art – translated by Christopher Hampton – deals obliquely with many of these very current issues.
At it’s heart is an (initially) friendly dispute between three friends about a piece of modern art: a white background with white paint on it. To it’s purchaser, Serge (played by Chris Harper), it is a masterpiece worth thousands of pounds, to his long term friend Marc (Aden Gillett), it’s “a white piece of shit”. Mutual friend Yvan (Seann Walsh) is caught in the crossfire.
Is the painting really white? Is it worth anything? Is it worth falling out over, or is the friends’ dispute a recognition of some deeper malaise, more black than white?
It’s a smart and funny play. The particularly Gallic relationships between the men can feel a little alien to English ears, but there’s a lot to enjoy, especially in Walsh’s increasingly manic performance. It’s a delightful performance, and only his second theatre role after years as a stand up.
Gillett and Harper play things comparatively straight, with Iqbal Khan’s direction focusing mostly on the wordplay rather than letting loose with the play’s slapstick potential.
The script is absolutely worth an airing and it is a shame that it is only coming to Norwich on a limited run. Go see it, if only to encourage Walsh to do more drama.
- ART continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 14 September 2024, before touring nationally.
