Art

Written by:
Yasmina Reza

Translated by:
Christopher Hampton

Opening: March 15, 2002

Closing: March 24, 2002

Number of performances: 8

Time:Now

Setting:
The main room of an apartment in Paris, or NYC, or London ... The scenes unfold, successively, at Serge's, Yvan's and Marc's.

Synopsis:
One of Marc's best friends, Serge, has just bought a very expensive painting. It's about five feet by four, all white with white diagonal lines. To Marc, the painting is a joke, but Serge insists Marc doesn't have the proper standard to judge the work. Another friend, Ivan, though burdened by his own problems, allows himself to be pulled into this disagreement. Eager to please, Ivan tells Serge he likes the painting. Lines are drawn and these old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to relentlessly batter one another over various failures. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their friendships. At the breaking point, Serge hands Marc a felt tip pen and dares him: "Go on." This is where the friendship is finally tested, and the aftermath of action, and its reaction, affirms the power of those bonds.