Yasmina Reza wrote Art in 1994, in French. And the American Players Theatre are presenting an English translation by Christopher Hampton that is a quintessential French existential comedy. And despite the translation, director Jackson Gay has lost nothing of the Frenchness here! So this is the play for the Francophile, Art Lover, and Theater Goer in you!
Art features three characters, long long time friends, middle aged and fairly successful. Serge, a doctor, Marc, an engineer, and Yvan, who is soon to be married, is currently working in sales. And our set fits all of the parameters set forth by Reza, a simple apartment setting that changes location depending on the occupant, Serge, Marc, or Yvan. As Reza stated and the program reinforces: nothing changes, except for the painting on the wall. Kate Noll’s set is perfect but I will get to the details in a bit!
Art is played complete without intermission but it isn’t quite a traditional act/scene format. Instead we observe a series of vignettes as the friends interact in pairs or in the full group and each, at times, will step forward solo into a spotlight and address the audience directly. So there is some backstory and story line set up that we alone are privy to directly
Marc is the engineer. And costume designer, Fabian Fidel Aguilar, has dressed him in a bit oversized rumpled suit that would do a disheveled academic proud. And as Marc, Triney Sandoval fills that suit with a big personality, a bit of cocky assuredness, boundless energy for a middle aged professional, and a sense of superiority over his friends. And when the balance of power in this little trio begins its shift, Sandoval can bring out the bit of condescension that Marc’s character calls for. You will know exactly how Marc feels about art, trust me. BTW: Marc sets up the intro to the play!
Serge is a doctor, a dermatologist I believe. Aguilar has dressed Serge in the perfect Euro threads for a professional in the late parts of the 20th Century. Tailored sport coat, flawless jeans, turtleneck shirt, and the perfect shoes; elegant business casual, if you will. Marcus Truschinski presents Serge with the perfect airs of what Americans might envision as a stereotypical Parisian of the period. Perfectly groomed, he delights in his new found knowledge and appreciation for ‘modern art’. Although I’ll claim it’s actually ‘post modern’, but that’s a minor quibble. And he has purchased a new painting by a major figure in French modern art for a considerable sum. And when first showing it to Marc, he makes Marc guess how much he paid for it. The currency isn’t mentioned but whether Francs or Euros, it is a considerable sum. Serge’s new prize is described as a four foot by five foot painting in white with a few off white or sometimes gray stripes across the vast expansive face. For our APT version, the lines are a bit raised from the surface for the benefit of the audience. But Marc, with a clear and expressed disdain for modern art, forcefully declares the painting to be ‘white shit’. And you can imagine where the play goes from here.
La Shawn Banks’, Yvan, is far more energetic character than his two friends. Because of that energy and activity on stage he makes us feel like he’s a bit younger. In his earlier aside in introducing Yvan, Marc tells us that Yvan hate conflict and will often act as an arbiter and try to calm the waters. And Banks gives us that Yvan precisely, joining in with Marc’s criticism of the painting and fun at Serge’s expense over the folly of the painting when meeting with Marc, and then of course, the opposite when he visits Serge. But when the three get together to go out for the evening, he gets caught in the middle as both Marc and Serge try to use his own comments to support their positions in the argument.
And here is the grand focus of the play. Art is the pivot in the story to investigate and discuss friendship. Why are these men friends? How do you maintain long term friendships? What do you accept that normally might irk you? What do you over look? What do you repress? Reza and Gay present a pretty dynamic discussion of all of these topics as the three confront each other. But there is a resolution…a happy resolution.
Now I promised a description of Kate Noll’s stage set. Up front on the Touchstone’s thrust stage, Noll has placed three pieces of a sectional, just a bit off white, just a bit severe, and just aptly late 20th Century Euro in feel…all against a perfectly white central back wall with a few white moldings and highlights, that refuse to let us forget the anatomy of the painting.
And I can’t take credit for this, but my wife, Rosalie, mentioned this as we were heading back to the car, but Yvan’s costume contains burgundy, borrowed from Serge’s turtleneck, and blue, borrowed from Marc. Bravo, and how clever, to Aguilar once again!
Spoiler alert but I couldn’t ignore this. At their major falling out and reconciliation, they were supposed to meet to go to a movie and then to dinner. Yvan was 40 minutes late and was all apologetic but Marc and Serge were having none of it. And then Yvan breaks down in a breathless minutes long rant about his day and the arguments around his wedding invitation between his fiance, father, future step mother in law, his own step mother, and mother…until we are ready to burst for breath. When he finishes Marc and Serge just stare in incomprehension and the audience erupts in a round of applause. But he’s not done, he’s just catching his breath, repeat. And when he finally finishes and reaches for sympathy, Marc and Serge, still sore that he was late, just tell him to call it off.
And just an aside. Given that it is 2025, many might find the argument around the painting rather surprising having lived with modern art and post modern art for better than a century. Even in 1994, when this was written, it was probably something of a surprise, particularly in Paris. But back in the day when I was in art school (1968 – 1973) this would be very much a topic for discussion in art history and the painting studios…although I don’t remember any friendships being risked over it! LOL!
More information on the APT’s Art and tickets here. Art is presented in APT’s intimate indoor Touchstone Theater, down the hill. It plays in repertory with other plays, so there aren’t that many dates left in the season and as of this writing a number have sold out. But the last day for Art is September 28, 2025. Contains adult themes & language.
