Art (play)
'Art' is a French-language play by Yasmina Reza that premiered in 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The play subsequently ran in London in 1996 and on Broadway in 1998.
This article is about the play. For other uses, see Art (disambiguation).'Art'
28 October 1994
The Paris apartments of Serge, Marc, and Yvan
Productions[edit]
The play premiered on 28 October 1994 at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Directed by Patrice Kerbrat, it starred Pierre Vaneck, Fabrice Luchini and Pierre Arditi. From 1997-98, Vaneck was joined by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Jean Rochefort.
The English-language adaptation, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Matthew Warchus, opened in London's West End on 15 October 1996 at Wyndham's Theatre (moving to the Whitehall Theatre in October 2001). The play initially starred Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Ken Stott; other actors who appeared during the run included Henry Goodman, Roger Allam, Stacey Keach, George Wendt, David Dukes, Paul Freeman, Edward Woodward, Peter Egan, Art Malik, John Fortune, Ken Campbell, Warren Mitchell, Nigel Havers, Roger Lloyd-Pack and Barry Foster.[1] Produced by David Pugh and Sean Connery, the show ran for over six years, closing on 3 January 2003. The final West End cast comprised Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss (aka The League of Gentlemen).[2]
'Art' played on Broadway at New York City's Royale Theatre from 12 February 1998 to 8 August 1999, again directed by Warchus and produced by Pugh and Connery, plus Joan Cullman. The original cast featured Alan Alda, Victor Garber and Alfred Molina; the latter was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. 'Art' won the Tony for Best Play and ran for 600 performances. Among the actors who took over in the production were Brian Cox, Henry Goodman, David Haig, Buck Henry, Judd Hirsch, Joe Morton, Wayne Knight, George Segal and George Wendt.[3]
From December 2016 to February 2017, the play, directed once again by Matthew Warchus, was revived at London's Old Vic theatre in order to celebrate its 20th anniversary, starring Rufus Sewell, Tim Key and Paul Ritter.[4] It then toured the UK from February 2018, starring Nigel Havers, Denis Lawson and Stephen Tompkinson.[5][6]
In May 2024, Rialto Productions staged the play as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival, receiving a 'Must See' rating.[7]
Overview[edit]
The comedy, which raises questions about art and friendship, concerns three long-time friends, Serge, Marc, and Yvan. Serge, indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive, completely white painting. Marc is horrified, and their relationship suffers considerable strain as a result of their differing opinions about what constitutes "art". Yvan, caught in the middle of the conflict, tries to please and mollify both of them.
The play is not divided into acts and scenes in the traditional manner, but it does nevertheless fall into sections (numbered 1–17 by Pigeat).[8] Some of these are dialogues between two characters, several are monologues where one of the characters addresses the audience directly, and one is a conversation among all three. At the beginning and end of the play, and for most of the scenes set in Serge's flat, the large white painting is on prominent display.