Art

Yasmina Reza, Translated by Christopher Hampton

Thursday 13th - Saturday 15th & Tuesday 18th - Saturday 22nd July 2006

Directed by Robin Hall

Serge, Marc and Yvan have been friends for years, but when Serge disgusts Marc by buying an obscenely expensive painting, they find themselves suddenly unsure why. Yvan's well-meaning attempts to smooth over the disagreement don't seem to be helping matters.

Alongside the question of what makes a painting worthy of the term 'Art', or indeed a price-tag of two hundred thousand francs, the meaning of friendship and how it defines both parties runs through the play as the three men struggle to adjust to the shock that Serge's purchase has caused.

'A remarkably wise, witty and intelligent comedy ... “Art” has touched a universal nerve' – The Times

AuthorYasmina Reza

Several of Yasmina Reza's plays have won the Prix Moliere (the French equivalent of the Tony award), the first being Conversations After A Burial in 1987. Art was the first of her plays to be widely seen outside France and following it's sucess others have been nominated at the Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards including 'The Unexpected Man' and 'Life x 3'.

She is also an actress, screenwriter and novelist; her novel Hammerklavier was published in 1997. In 1999 she served as a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival.

Yasmina was born in France in 1959 to Iranian parents.

TranslatorChristopher Hampton

Although Christopher Hampton's parents are British, he was born in Fayal (Azores) in 1946 and in his early years lived in Aden, Egypt and Zanzibar. At 13 he came to England to Lancaster College from where he won admission to New College Oxford as a scholar to study German and French. After graduating, he became the youngest writer to have a play performed in the West End in 1966 - 'When Did You Last See My Mother?' - , which he follwed with a spell at the Royal Court as their Resident Dramatist.

As well as his original plays, including the Philanthropist (1969) and Tales From Hollywood (1984), Hampton is well known for the may plays he has translated and adapted. Perhaps the most famous was 'Les Liasons Dangereuses' (from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos) which he adapted for the Royal Shakespeare Company and he later into a screenplay for the version featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, Glenn Close and John Malkovitch. Many of his best known work has been for film including adaptations and original work, and he has also directed and produced for the screen and acted in some of his own work.

Translations have included classic works from Moliere, Brecht and Ibsen as well as several of Yasmina Reza's plays.

top of page

The Bench Production

Cast

Marc	Peter Corrigan
Serge	Peter Woodward
Yvan	Tim Taylor

Crew

Director	Robin Hall
Producer	Lorraine Galliers
Stage Manager	Sam Emery
Light and Sound Operator	Derek Callum
Backstage and Technical Assistance from	Sharman Callum and Ruth Prior
Lighting Design	Andrew Caple

Review Bench gives us work of Art

The General standard of Bench Theatre's work has been in flux - though never bad - of late. Art, however is a true return to form for Havant's home-grown theatre company.

Yasmina Reza's piece (translated by Chrstopher Hampton) sparkles as much on the amateur stage as it did on the professional. That sparkle relies heavily on having three strong male performers at the helm, and director Robin Hall could not have found many stronger in the Bench's company than Peter Corrigan, Peter Woodward and Tim Taylor.

The story follows the ups and downs in the relationship of three friends when one purchases a work of art which, to the others, seems to be little more than a plain white canvas. When the anger Corrigan's Marc feels towards Woodward's Serge over this purchase explodes - comically and tragically - further cracks in the relationship are revealed and Taylor's Yvan is soon drawn into the maelstrom.

The chemistry between the three protagonists is tangible and apart from one apparent dry on the opening night, Reza's dialogue romped along at a rollicking pace.

Both hilarious and gut-wrenchingly sad, the Bench's production goes to show exactly what local theatre could and should be capable of.

James George, Portsmouth News, 15th July 2006

ReviewThought-provoking

Translated from the original French play, Art combines hilarious and fascinating observations of male comradeship alongside critical debate about the validity of modern art. Extremely witty and intellegent, this play is entertaining, poignant and thought-provoking.

The rapport between the cast of three, under the excellent direction of Robin Hall, convincingly brought to life the complexities of each character as the bonds between the friends were scrutinised. Each actor performed with passion and total credibility, displaying exquisite coming timing through dialogue delivery, physical gestures, facial expressions, interaction with each other and during asides to the audience.

Minimal white scenery against a black backdrop mirrored the white canvas of the expensive painting while subtle lighting changes reflected Serge's insistence that his newly acquired masterpiece was "not white, but all shades of grey!", allowing the humanity of the characters to come to the fore.

Anne Waggott, Southampton Echo, 15th July 2006