Art
After a year of the kind of drama that no one wants to repeat, the reconstituted Pasadena Playhouse resumes its season with a sparingly mounted production of Yasmina Reza’s Art.
Reza is good at unraveling otherwise well-behaved and civilized interactions between friends and acquaintances. Art, an early effort along this theme, elevated the playwright to international stature when it crossed the pond from France in 1997. (Her most recent foray, God of Carnage, made into a film in 2011, boasts an eerily similar trajectory).
As with an onion, the layers are paper thin, and the revelatory process demands discomfort. Three erudite professional men have been friends for a very long time, but one purchase of a “white on white” artwork threatens to tear the trio apart. Serge’s (Michael O’Keefe) acquisition is extravagant, and one might assume that his friend, Marc (Bradley Whitford), is reacting to the price when he ridicules his choice. But in a series of tête á têtes pitting one man against another, the relations between the men begin to expose their co-dependencies, not their tastes in art.
Reza’s writing is relentlessly witty and the three men playing her characters are masters at their craft. Bradley Whitford, of course is a favorite from West Wing, while Michael O’Keefe has had a sturdy career on Broadway as well as screens big and small. Under the direction of David Lee, the two are excellent foils for one another. But, it takes Roger Bart’s sad-sack timing to bring down the house. As Ivan, he becomes the punching bag for the other two and the catalyst for their final truce.
One of the most striking visions in this production is not the painting, but the sight of three men sitting, emotionally spent, on the couch as if in a tableau of the Three Stooges. Since the French have been noted for their appreciation of slapstick humor, it is an apt image for David Lee to evoke.
In my view, the play can be engaging without the accouterments of a realistic stage. Tom Buderwitz provides a rough-hewn, granite-like background set against sleek furniture that stands in for all changes in location. Kate Bergh’s wardrobe adds color into the monochromatic setting. From scene to scene, only the paintings change. Viewing them, a connoisseur might conclude that Serge’s white painting is the right choice. But Jared A. Sayeg’s lighting, used to denote soliloquies, uses garish background washes to dubious effect.
Photo: Jim Cox. Bradley Whitford, Roger Bart and Michael O'Keefe in a scene from ART at The Pasadena Playhouse.
Art continues at The Pasadena Playhouse through February 19, 2012, Tuesdays through Fridays at 8:00 PM; Saturdays at 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM; Sundays at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena 91101. Tickets, $29.00 to $59.00.
Fifteen dollar rush tickets are available one hour before performances. Purchase all other tickets online: www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org or at the box office from 12 N to 6:00 PM except Monday at 5:00 PM.