Yasmina Reza’s ART is one of those plays that have built such an international reputation for themselves that to say otherwise would be to displease those people who think the play to be brilliant and irreproachable. This is not to suggest that the play is without any merit but it is surely not a play whose notorious fame must go unquestioned.
At the heart of the play are three characters- Serge, Marc and Yvan, long-time friends of each other but whose friendship is now at stake because of a plain white canvas with white lines on it. According to its buyer Serge, the canvas is a work of art and that is why he has rightfully spent 200,000 francs on it. Marc finds the deal ridiculous and wastes no time telling Serge about it. Yvan remains ambivalent because he does not want to antagonize either of his two friends but nevertheless ends up agreeing with Marc about the painting’s worthlessness.
So the play does throw up interesting questions about art, its value and in the process, it becomes a punching bag for the three friends to examine their relationship with each other. But while the premise of the play poses an excellent and credible question about art itself, its characters come across as one-dimensional people and their professed friendship as immature and superficial.
It is one thing to disagree with a friend’s choice but quite another for not being able to resolve the issue. And Serge, Marc and Yvan are certainly not boys out of college. They are supposedly mature people who have known each other for long. Unless of course Reza is satirizing people for not being honest with each other and commenting therefore on the fickle nature of their relationships.
Having given Reza this benefit of doubt, the play has its fine moments. Each piece of art has its own takers and while the deconstructionists following Derrida have complicated the issue beyond recall, there is no doubt that art has always had to contend with subjective likes and dislikes. The playwright understands this existential question about art very well and uses it as a stimulating springboard. In a rare moment in the play, both art and friendship are thus exposed to Yvan’s plea: “Nothing beautiful has ever come out of rational argument.” Otherwise most of the time, the propeller ‘art’ remains a thorn between three grown children who could well be bickering even if the painting was not the cause.
Having said that, there are justifiable reasons why ART has proved to be a popular play. It manages to be intelligent and funny at the same time, its theme is universal, it has three characters and can be easily done without any frills attached to it. Above all, it is an actor’s play. The characters may appear as lopsided personalities, each with a peculiar trait but there is no doubt that they have been delineated very well. The actor’s performance is therefore key to this play’s success.
It is easy to see in this context, Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal’s fascination for the play and her revived production of the same after nine years. Unfortunately her production underestimates the need for seasoned actors. While her actors come across as having worked hard for their parts, they are misfits in terms of age and experience with the probable exception of Vishaal Asrani who plays Yvan. As a result, more often than not, they are just heard mouthing their lines. Sid Makkar plays Serge and Shavir Irani plays Marc. Both try and enunciate their lines well enough but they lack the emotion that accompanies their parts. And although Makkar does slightly better than Irani, there is no palpable chemistry between the two. Neither Serge’s idealism nor Marc’s aggressiveness is exploited to its optimum. As a result the play does not hold on to its tense moments well enough.
Again Asrani’s Yvan has been typified as effeminate and in the process induces many guffaws from the audience. Yvan is not confident, he is unsure of himself and cannot trust his own instincts but does it mean he needs to be cast as a stereotypical gay? Stereotypes although recognizable simply water down the complexity of what the character is actually capable of portraying.
The backdrop to the play consists of three asymmetrical arches; the middle one has a space cut in that serves as a common door of entry and exit. Black, white and grey are used to symbolize the three characters and their personality types. White is for Serge, black is for Marc and grey is for Yvan. Aesthetic expediency more than symbolism seems to be the answer here but it works well. Light design by Kaizad Kotwal is simple and appropriate as each scene seamlessly takes off from the other.
Final verdict- Do see the play for it manages to sustain attention owing to the strength of its text (my quibbles about it may not necessarily be yours) and if the actors do manage to brush their parts up, it may prove to be an evening well spent. One thing is for sure. This 90 minute endeavour with no intermission has got its pacing right. Even if you see the 9 pm show at Prithvi, there will be time to mull over the best bits of the play with your friends along side hungry bites.
Yasmina Reza’s ART is one of those plays that have built such an international reputation for themselves that to say otherwise would be to displease those people who think the play to be brilliant and irreproachable. This is not to suggest that the play is without any merit but it is surely not a play whose notorious fame must go unquestioned. 
Having given Reza this benefit of doubt, the play has its fine moments. Each piece of art has its own takers and while the deconstructionists following Derrida have complicated the issue beyond recall, there is no doubt that art has always had to contend with subjective likes and dislikes. The playwright understands this existential question about art very well and uses it as a stimulating springboard. In a rare moment in the play, both art and friendship are thus exposed to Yvan’s plea: “Nothing beautiful has ever come out of rational argument.” Otherwise most of the time, the propeller ‘art’ remains a thorn between three grown children who could well be bickering even if the painting was not the cause.
The backdrop to the play consists of three asymmetrical arches; the middle one has a space cut in that serves as a common door of entry and exit. Black, white and grey are used to symbolize the three characters and their personality types. White is for Serge, black is for Marc and grey is for Yvan. Aesthetic expediency more than symbolism seems to be the answer here but it works well. Light design by Kaizad Kotwal is simple and appropriate as each scene seamlessly takes off from the other. 
