Waiheke Theatre Company: ART

Waiheke Theatre Company presents this highly recognised French play, created in Paris in 1994, this lacerating comedy dissects the bonds of friendship between three middle-aged men when one buys a very expensive white contemporary painting. The play won prestigious prizes in Paris and London, as well as the best play Tony Award on Broadway.

The meaty dialogue has attracted many great actors, and stand-up comedians, and has enjoyed global success rare for a modern script, especially a French one, and even rarer a woman.

The 90 minute play raises many unresolved questions about modern art. Serge (Richard Bull) buys an apparently pure white canvas by a fashionable artist for 200,000 francs. His old friend, Marc (Kim Whitaker), thinks it’s a piece of sh*t, and tells him so. Yvan (Alistair Babbage), their friend, tries to reconcile their views and only succeeds in antagonising both of them.

Reza raises questions about art and whether aesthetics is now inextricably confused with market value yet she also explores the connection between taste and friendship.

The play culminates in a fierce confrontation among the three strong personalities. Is it possible to enjoy a real, and lasting, relationship with someone whose views on art, books, or theatre for that matter, are radically different from our own?

Note: The show on Friday 5th will include a pre-show debate at the Waiheke Art Gallery at 6pm, discussing the question of ‘What is ART?’