ART PB – YASMINA REZA-CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON

Art is a profound and hilarious comedy about the value of truth and friendship. My friend Serge has bought a painting. It s a canvas about five foot by four: white. The background is white and, if you screw up your eyes, you can make out some fine white diagonal lines. Serge is one of my oldest friends. Serge has bought a modern work of art for a large sum of money. Marc hates the painting and cannot believe that a friend of his could feel differently. Yvan attempts to placate both sides, with hilarious consequences. The question is: Are you who you think you are, or are you who your friends think you are? Art premiered in this translation at Wyndham s Theatre, London, 1996. It won Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Comedy, and New York Drama Critics Circle and Tony Awards for Best Play. A remarkably wise, witty and intelligent comedy. Art has touched a universal nerve. The Times Art not only brings to the stage a topical debate, it makes it invigorating, touching and finally disturbing. This dark comedy, translated from the French by Christopher Hampton in sparkling form, explores its themes through a rift between friends. Financial Times