“ART”

By Yasmina Reza

A French Play performed in English

Set in Paris, the story revolves around three friends

—Serge, Marc and Yvan—who find their previously solid 15-year

friendship on shaky ground when Serge buys an expensive painting.

The canvas is white, with a few white lines...

Serge is proud of his 20,000 Euros acquisition fully expecting

the approval of his friends. Marc scornfully describes it as "a

piece of white shit". For the insecure Yvan, burdened by the

problems of his impending wedding and his dissatisfaction

at his job, their friendship is his sanctuary...but his

attempts at peace-making backfire. Lines are drawn and they

square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to relentlessly

batter one another over various failures. As their arguments become

less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their

friendship.

When somebody pays a fortune for a plain white canvas,

is it because they understand the intrinsic value of art...

or are they just plain gullible? Does friendship mean keeping

quiet or telling the truth? Are your friends who they are, or are

they who you think they are? These are the issues. At the end

it is a lie that saves their friendship and the lie, of course, is white.