To See or Not to See: Art at the Old Vic

Yasmina Reza’s Art gets a sharp, triumphant revival at London’s Old Vic. Like her recent God of Carnage— which has earned a slew of international awards since its debut in 2009– Reza’s Art is equal parts sophisticated, funny, and heartbreaking all at once.

The three-man-show stars Rufus Sewell, Paul Ritter, and Tim Key as a trio of friends whose relationship is challenged when one of them drops a hundred thousand euros on a painting. But, this isn’t just any old painting: it’s an entirely white painting with a series of white diagonal lines. Serge (Sewell), the buyer, is transfixed by the painting. Marc (Ritter) is disgusted and sees the painting as evidence of how he has grown apart from his oldest friend. And Yvan (Key) just wants everyone to get along. The painting thus does exactly what art is supposed to do: it pushes, challenges, inspires, delights, moves, and is open to ridicule. The point is, it inspires some kind of reaction in each of the three men.

Yasmina Reza– one of France’s greatest living playwrights– penetrates the humor, angst, and alienation of contemporary life in her varied plays. Art, first produced in Paris in 1994, is no exception. At its core, it’s about three grown men struggling to connect to each other and culture at large as their lives take them in different directions.

It is a testament to director Matthew Warchus that all three actors are at total ease with one another, especially as Sewell, Ritter, and Key infuse their characters with distinct personalities. Sewell’s Serge is a breezy intellectual, but is often impatient and subtle. Considering that Sewell’s on screen credits include a number of serious roles in dramas– like the Obergruppenführer in The Man in the High Castle or the sexy Lord Melbourne in PBS’s lovely Victoria— it’s refreshing to see him take on a contemporary role in a play that definitely has a sense of humor. Similarly, Tim Key’s comedic relief throughout the 90-minute play was as endearing as it was welcome. Paul Ritter’s Marc was perfectly wounded and angry, and his final words at the end of the play– when he finally sees something in the painting– were heart-wrenching in their truth and simplicity.

From the minimalist set to the graceful lighting design, the technical aspects of Art didn’t get in the way of the performances and even illustrated the monochromatic, colorless world of modern life in which Serge, Marc, and Yvan have found themselves.

The 90-minute show won’t necessarily be an escape from modern life. On the contrary, it’s a humorous and astonishingly sensitive play about how art can never be simply for its own sake. We invest it with meaning that reveals far more about ourselves than we’d sometimes like to admit.

Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan/The Old Vic