Theatre Royal Bath, 3 – 7 September
Words by Emma Clegg.
When faced with a piece of abstract, conceptual art – and then feeling confounded by something that appears to say rather less than more – it’s easy to lean into the feeling that the artist is not expressing a monumental concept, but having a laugh. Think of Tracey Emin’s My Bed or Michael Craig-Martin’s An Oak Tree (a small glass of water perched on a shelf). Famous, maybe, but scepticism loiters.
In the case of Yamina Reza’s play Art, currently at Theatre Royal Bath, the painting is a white canvas by celebrated artist Antrios, purchased for 200,000 (euros, upgraded from francs in its original guise) by Serge (Chris Harper), one of three friends. His best friend Marc (Aden Gillett) reacts negatively to the painting and to its price and aggressively challenges Serge about his motivations around its purchase. The third Yvan (Seann Walsh) falls between the two extremes, acting as sitting-on-the-fence pacifier.
This multi-award-winning play and hit comedy, first premiered in 1994, has been translated into over 30 languages and is now celebrating 30 years. During which time its star-led cast has included actors from Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, John Fortune and Roger Allam to Nigel Havers, Brian Cox, Rufus Sewell and Mark Gatiss. It has also attracted its fair share of nay-sayers. “a pedigree crowdpleaser” said critic Matthew Warchus in 2016.
Perhaps it is the very popularity of the play that drives the critic’s red pen. Perhaps it endorses too much the idea – shared by many – that conceptual art is in Marc’s words “absolute shit”. But we soon realise that it’s not about the painting at all, it’s about the three friends, their 15-year friendship and their quarrels, it’s about their own identities and how they have changed over the years to the point where, perhaps, they don’t fit together any more.
The set of this brand new production, directed by Iqbal Khan, was delicious. On an ingenious rotating stage, three rooms were created by folding backdrops side highlighted with vertical strips of light, staging each character’s home space, with colours picked up by the three figures. Serge is in a glossy baby blue suit in a plush pale blue home with a generous cocktail cabinet; Marc and his room are sharp, deep red, trenchant and brooding; Yvan is in the middle, more neutral, combining colours, less certain than the others, overwhelmed by a dominating (unseen) fiancée. Many scenes lock one on one; there are also spotlit honest asides to the audience; and in the final scenes all three together, where one is at odds and ganged up on. But even when not within the action, the other characters dwell at the back, just in view, still part of the circular stage.
The three actors harmonise beautifully and their interactions were slick and well-timed. Chris Harper as Serge embodied the confident, successful dermatologist aspiring to power up his social credentials and Aden Gillett pretentious, plain-speaking aesthete Marc. Comedian Seann Walsh as the bumbling, harrassed Yvan drew many laughs, within several drawn-out, expostulating monologues. Indeed all three create laughs, because it’s an amusing, engaging play – a worthy achievement given its long life and its distinct lack of action and plot.
I reckon each audience member can spot themselves as Serge, Marc or Yvan. Which leaves you wondering about the personal identity challenges for the single understudy named in the programme, Russell Layton…
So if the painting embodies the fraught dispute of the three friends, can it heal them too? You have until 7 September to find out!