"Art" Artfully Performed at New Rep

Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

New Rep’s production of Yasmina Reza’s 'ART' is a comedic look at the friendship between three very different men and their reaction to a newly acquired piece of art. In the production, Serge (Robert Walsh) purchases a painting for a large sum of money. The frame-less, modernist piece consists of a white canvas with stripes of white. Serge’s friend Yvan (Doug Lockwood) cautiously describes the work as “plain,” while Serge amends the description to “plain, but MAGNETIC.” Their mutual friend Marc (Robert Pemberton) is less diplomatic.

On the surface, the production prods the question: What determines the value of art?  Serge loves his new painting. He stands in his living room examining the piece from every angle with smile lines creasing his face. He emanates satisfaction with his new Antrios, and for the eternally tolerant Yvan, that is enough. Marc, on the other hand, instantly dismisses the painting. This spurs an argument over the value of art: Can a person judge a painting without a formal understanding of contemporary artwork?  What makes a single painting worth $200,000?  

The argument cuts deeply into their fifteen-year friendship, allowing each actor the opportunity for bitingly sarcastic commentaries about the others’ actions. Like the subtleties of white lines on a slightly different white background, the friends’ attacks on each others' characters predominately target subtle flaws, from the others' tone of voice to his choice of restaurant. Marc laughs too “sardonically” for Serge. Serge says “the artist” too pretentiously for Marc.Yvan agrees with both to the point of self-contradiction. The actors are endlessly comedic in their truthful portrayals of these characters.  

Walsh, in particular, is masterful in his relentless needling. He flaunts this cold, easy power, targeting Marc’s wife, whose habit of waving away cigarette smoke is particularly irksome. Pemberton digs his nails into the bar, gritting his teeth and waiting, while Walsh sits easily on the couch, instigating and mocking.  The two spar with clever dialogue amid quickly escalating stakes, and the expressive Walsh is captivating to watch. When the argument finally reaches its climatic end, Marc returns the favor with one final jab, and the scene closes as Walsh silently fumes.

Lockwood’s role is more self-mocking. He delivers a hilarious monologue (seemingly all in one breath) about his “catastrophe” over wedding invitations. He plays the victim well, and his honesty about both himself and his friends is refreshing (though infuriating to Marc and Serge).

Scenic designer Justin Townsend uses paintings to differentiate the friends’ apartments, and it is interesting to see the object that threatens to disintegrate their friendship used in a way to reference the setting. It draws attention to how important this one object has become in the friends’ lives and how differently these friends live.

The humor of the play is critical and sarcastic. The characters are quick to gang up on the third, and turn on each other almost impossibly fast.  The result is tense, hilarious, and captivating.