«Art» comedy by Yasmina Reza
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Art» - this is simultaneously very funny and sad story, which is wonderful by its simple dialogues: yes - no; why - because; I like this painting… - but I think it's…
Three friends are ready to quarrel and even commit mayhem on each other only because of one of them (dermatologist Serge) bought a painting with an absolute white background, (but, if screw up eyes) in thin, white and transverse stripes. Serge paid 200 thousands francs (some 40 thousands dollars). Exactly this astronomic amount given for a dubious thing, according to constructional Mark (who is an engineer in aircraft industry), infuriated him seriously. Surely, the matter concerns not only lack of coincidence of three friends' aesthetic taste (third friend is simple-minded and touching Ivan, who sells stationary). Three friends are unable to change anything. They note with horror that their friendship is collapsing because of mistakes made by all of them. Yasmina Reza called her play "ART" in quotes. Here is a particular sense. A huge painting rhymes fine with comic and, sometimes, scare changeableness of human relations. Yasmina Reza (France) is one of the popular modern playwright of the West. Ex-actress, musician, she is the author of several dramatical pieces. The most successful and popular was "ART" play, which was staged in  Europe and America. Its success could be called a "phenomenon".
About "art" play
"NEWSWEEK": This is a dream of actors - continuous, "cross-fire" of reprises, serious reflections about life and art expressed in explosive cues.
Benedict Nightingale, "TIMES": It is possi_enble that the play by Yasmina Reza about friendship will became the new classi_encs.
"THE COMPLETE REVIEW'S REVIEW": The play balances between the classi_encal tradition and abstraction. The universal questions touched upon in the play call forth a response from any person. The stunning and international success proves it.
"TIME": Unfortunately, "ART" is an overestimated bagatelle, small and sketchy exercise for rapidity of fingers. It seems to call praises of critics in direct correlation with their complete absence of other ambitions. Characters in the play are too forthright.
"INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE": World-wide, on 20 languages, the audience is starting to laugh at the first cues of the "ART" performance.
YASMINA REZA (fragment of an interview): …Of course, "ART" is a funny play and at the same time it's tragic. Besides everything else, it's about destruction of friendship. Friendship as fragile as love is, when it's collapsing it's very painful.
 
 
The Premiere of the production 16.11.2002
Duration of the performance 1 h 30 m
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