Art

Art by Yasmina Reza Translated by Christopher Hampton

The long term friendship of Serge, Marc and Yvan is shaken to the core when Serge buys an expensive contemporary painting without discussing it with the other two men. Marc reacts viciously to what he considers to be an incomprehensible action by his old friend while Yvan trying to be the peacemaker, falls foul of both men, and all three outwardly mature, cultured men degenerate into scrapping boys, chucking insults and fists at each other.

Yasmina Reza thought she’d written a tragedy yet Art has won comedy awards. This deceptively simple play asks big questions. What is art – or “Art”? Are we who we think we are, or are we who others think we are? Can we still be friends if we hold radically different views, or if we grow in different directions? From laugh out loud funny to excruciating grimaces and the odd tear, the power struggle is intense and the outcome – well, wait and see and talk about it afterwards.