Art, Theatre Severn - Review
Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe the same can be said for art appreciation. It's all subjective.
But a rift develops between three old friends when one pays a fortune for a canvas that looks like it is pure white (with maybe a hint of grey stripes). The other says it is, ahem, excrement and then they tussle over the opinion of the third, who really would just like to please them both.
This is the set up for Yasmina Reza's acclaimed 1990s comedy Art, translated from the original French by Christopher Hampton, and still razor-sharp 23 years after it was first performed on a British stage.
This latest revival, that has been touring the UK for more than a year, benefits from the interplay of three fine actors with a gift for comedy who fully inhabit their roles of self-absorbed upper middle class Parisians.
Nigel Havers is the art loving Serge, furious at the dismissal of his expensive purchase by the smug, sardonic and condescending Marc (Denis Lawson). Caught in the middle is Yvan (Stephen Tomkinson) who is probably already on the verge of nervous breakdown because of his forthcoming wedding and his warring future in-laws.
Over a pacey 80 minutes (there is no interval) the friends argue in a blizzard of sophisticated ideas, expletives, brutal jibes and rising tension as old animosities come bubbling to the surface. Until, finally, they realise that their friendship is on the brink of irreparable breakdown.
Each actor in this three-hander contributes a vital spark and all have some excellent lines but the finest comic moment belongs to Tomkinson's excitable Yvan. His long frantic rant on the problems of planning his wedding saw Monday night's audience burst into laughter and applause.
In the play the character Marc says something is a classic if it stands the test of time to stay fresh and relevant, in that case Art is a classic. It continues at Theatre Severn until Saturday.
