Art is a play by Yasmina Reza, created in 1994. In 2018, Le Monde (one of the most read, sold and known French newspapers) called it the most widely performed contemporary French play in the world. I grew up in Paris and had to study this play in middle school, so I was very excited to see how it would turn out.
The presentation is simple in appearance: three characters and a fairly plain decor, allowing no diversions. Marc, Serge and Yvan are three friends with very different personalities. Serge has just bought a painting, a white painting (“It’s not white!”), for 100,000 euros, and has invited Marc and Yvan over to show it to them. This is when the drama begins, as Marc finds this purchase completely preposterous and is not afraid to say it, while Yvan tries to side with Serge. The setting switches between each man’s living room, indicated by the presence of one of three paintings, and each one suits their character well.
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| ID: Buster van der Geest, Struan Barker, and Danny Spiezio as Marc, Serge and Yvan. Credit: Matthew Colquhoun. |
This play did not disappoint in any way, shape or form, and the performances were incredible. Buster van der Geest as Marc, Struan Barker as Serge and Danny Spiezio as Yvan truly made my night. I don’t think I can possibly give enough praise to Buster’s hilariously on point facial expressions, distinct mannerisms and tones. It seemed effortless, which of course means it was the opposite. Struan played Serge exactly as I pictured the character when reading, and nailed it down to Serge’s posture as he sits on the sofa. Danny’s sometimes whiny, sometimes exasperated voice gave life to Yvan, and his stepmother tirade may have been the highlight of the play, earning a round of applause as soon as he finished it. All three had impeccable comedic timing. Not to be sappy, but I came out of the theatre in genuine awe that I’m lucky enough to be studying alongside extremely talented students who can put on such a performance in barely a month (which also made me feel a bit shit because gosh knows what I’ve been doing the past month apart from crying, watching Netflix and eating Tesco meal deals). The lines are sometimes repetitive, and it took great actors to make each one stand out with changing meanings.
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| ID: Buster and Danny. Credit: Matthew Colquhoun. |
I’d never been to the black box Barron, and as I thought I might look intimidating in the first row with my pen and notepad I made the mistake of sitting in the third row, which I must admit gave me quite an obstructed view. Thank gosh they had a trigger warning for shouting as I’m known to cry when shouted at (how very Yvan of me). I have a soft spot for Yvan. He’s a conflict avoiding people pleaser, and I respect that (because honestly same). He’s also dealing with a lot in life and seems always on the verge of tears, and says himself that he cries all the time. But in a kiss, marry, kill game with these three men, I would probably still run away (although to be fair I tend to run away from men in general). Each character is quite grey with many faults, and I must say that’s my favourite kind of fictional man. It makes the story so much more entertaining.
In reality, Art isn’t about art. The canvas is just a catalyst for the plot to explode. That doesn’t mean it’s not important, just that the focus isn’t whether the painting is “art” or not, it’s the dynamic between the three men. The director, Callum Wardman-Browne (who by the way was probably one of the nicest people I’ve met here), put it best: “When I first picked up the script, I was like, “oh gosh, I need to research art because this is about art, but it's really not, and it would be quite boring if it was three people in a room talking about art for an hour and a half, that sounds like a miserable play. It’s just that this one piece of artwork is the straw that breaks the camel's back, and it's about three friends trying to find each other again”, which is a timeless theme, “and quite important for university. Even though the characters are older, a lot of people here are in between friendships, and they're not sure if they're supposed to let go or move on. I think that's the heart of it, what the play is about, the main conflict”. The conspiratorial air between the alternating duos (Marc and Serge vs. Yvan, Serge and Yvan vs. Marc, etc) did at times evoke being in your uni kitchen and wondering how to politely let your flatmate know that they really should clean their week-old dirty dishes that are STILL in the sink. It’s also sometimes endearing, when one of the men wonders if the other doesn’t like him anymore, why they don’t ever laugh together now.
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| ID: Struan and Buster. Credit: Matthew Colquhoun. |
Serge brings the painting on stage often, before taking it back. I thought the painting became sort of its own character and, luckily, Callum agreed: “because of everything it symbolises, not in a literary sense but for the actual characters, whenever it’s actually present on stage with them, you can see that it does affect how the characters act, as opposed to when it just exists”. This is exacerbated by the fact that it’s referred to by its painter, Antrios. Marc doesn’t understand why Serge bought the painting. Snobbery? Delusion? Callum commented “there's an element of just needing a change, needing something new in life. And obviously a blank slate is represented by the Antrios, even though Serge keeps insisting it’s not blank. Serge and Yvan want something new. Marc, not so much, that’s why he creates a lot of the conflict”. Struan, our very own Serge, agreed: “It represents a sort of fresh start for him, and a fresh start with Marc after they wipe it clean”.
Many elements in the play seem simple at first, until you realise why they’ve been designed that way. The performance takes place in the Barron, which is quite a small space, but it was used up brilliantly by the actors’ movements (from prancing to rolling around fighting). Callum remarked that for a play set in a living room an intimate space isn’t a bad thing, and after seeing it I whole-heartedly concur. Instead of limiting the crew, it put emphasis on every well-thought out detail. The costumes, designed by Ella Tyson, fit the characters perfectly in a way that just made sense and scratched my brain right (special mention to Marc’s iconic fit, with a very fashionable long red coat and a dashing cravat). “Ella is fantastic. She came up with all these little ways of communicating character through the design. And again, it's like finding the character, not discovering it, as the character is implied somewhere within the lines. Serge is dressed in white and grey, and I was thinking “oh yeah, because the Antrios is white”. But then she also said, but he's a dermatologist, so white evokes a clinical aspect, which makes so much sense. Then I suggested having Mark in all black, which she pointed out may be a bit obvious, which was completely right. What she's come up with is just so much more nuanced”, added Callum.
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| ID: Robert Ryman, 'Untitled' (2011). |
“I have just seen a mouse!”
“It’s a rat.”
As funny as the play was, it’s also moving. Marc, Serge and Yvan don’t know what binds them together anymore as friends after fifteen years of friendship, if anything. They arrive at a point where “best friend” becomes more of a systematic label than a reality or true reflection of their relationship, and struggle to determine whether their friendship is still compatible. Lines like “I loved the way you saw me” hit too close to home. I won’t lie to you, that’s where it gets a bit homoerotic. Sometimes I caught myself thinking that they should just kiss. I mean really. Yvan complains about not receiving enough attention, Marc says he feels betrayed and abandoned, Serge criticises Marc’s wife for the silliest reason and they both insist that Yvan should cancel his wedding. What are they waiting for to all start dating and declare their undying homosexual love for each other?
The end of the play tied it together beautifully, and wrapped up a lovely night. I would strongly recommend you run to tomorrow evening’s show. Art happened to be the first play I saw in St Andrews, and hopefully Callum will direct another one soon so that I can sprint to see it too. Perhaps Così, finally an Australian play, or Pillowman?
Anyways, it’s getting late so I wish you goodnight and I’ll leave you on a top tip from Serge: if you’re ever feeling anxious, “Read Seneca”.