In the eye of the beholder: Stray Dog finds more laughs and less cruelty in "Art"

In a review of the Old Vic’s 2016 revival of Yasmina Reza’s comedy Art (in the 1996 Christopher Hampton English adaptation of the 1994 French original), The Guardian’s Michael Bilington, while praising the acting and directing, has questions about the script itself. “Is Reza’s play, in the end,” he asks, “a modern classic or a modish crowdpleaser? I lean to the former view but the answer…lies in the eye of the beholder.”

L-R: Ben Ritchie, Stephen Peirick, Jeremy Goldmeier
Photo by John Lamb

I’ve never been that taken with the play, its many awards notwithstanding, so for me “modern classic” is right out.  It can, however, be a crowd pleaser, modish or not, especially when done in bright, comic style by a trio of skilled actors. Which is what director Gary Bell and his talented trio of performers are doing with it at Stray Dog Theatre through August 21st.

First performed in 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Art is a one-act, 90-minute comedy that examines the way a simple disagreement over the value of a work of modern art quickly escalates into an emotional and intellectual demolition derby that nearly destroys a long-standing friendship among Parisians Marc, Serge, and Yvan.

The painting—a blank white canvas that could easily pass for unpainted drywall—is purchased by Serge, the oldest of the trio, for an absurd amount of money. Serge points out that there are faint white lines on the white background and praises its subtlety. Marc dismisses it as "a piece of white shit," and before long their conflict has expanded to include the hapless Yvan. Already battered by the emotional hurricane brewing around his upcoming wedding, Yvan is ill-equipped to deal with the battle between Marc and Serge. His attempts to act as a calming influence fail, and the final battle royal ultimately leaves all three emotionally exhausted but, perhaps, with a better understanding of the complicated and messy nature of their relationship.  

The script has been widely praised by critics for addressing issues of the nature of friendship and art, but to my mind it does so only in the a superficial way. Mostly it’s a virtuoso display of the kind of brittle verbal comedy I associate with (say) Noël Coward, but with a cruel edge that ultimately makes the lines less funny and the characters very nearly unbearable by the end of the play’s 90-minute run.

That said, Stray Dog’s production is an excellent one. Bell keeps the comedy front and center, with brisk pacing, clear blocking, and a generally very creative use of the awkward rectangular outdoor stage. In that, he gets a bit assist from Josh Smith’s simple and versatile set and Tyler Duenow’s lighting.

L-R: Ben Ritchie, Stephen Peirick, Jeremy Goldmeier
Photo by John Lamb

More importantly, the performances are first rate. Ben Ritchie’s Serge is a perfect balance of sincerity and smug self-assurance. Stephen Peirick’s voluble Marc repeatedly punctures both, armed by an unshakable conviction of his own rightness and a more genuine concern about what he sees as the loss of Serge’s friendship. Their battles have the fine comic timing of a classic Vaudeville team. I have worked with both actors myself in the past, and their work here only enhances my esteem for their skills.

Jeremy Goldmeier’s Yvan, like his Jeff in SDT’s Lobby Hero last year, is the perfect schlemiel—well-meaning but incompetent. It makes him the perfect foil for Ritchie and Peirick’s dueling divas and also neatly sets up the moment towards the end when his character finally decides he has had enough and stands up to the bullying of Serge and Marc.

The bottom line here is that if you are an admirer of Art, I think it likely that you will enjoy this well-crafted presentation despite the vagaries of weather and outdoor noise.  Seating pods are sensibly distanced and audience members are required to wear masks until seated in their pods, keeping health concerns to a minimum.

Performances of Art continue through August 21st. on the lawn outside of Stray Dog’s home at 2336 Tennessee in the Tower Grove East neighborhood, with lighted and guarded parking. For more information, visit the Stray Dog web site.