Sometimes, life’s most important conversations come by way of an unexpected tipping point. Repertory Philippines’ “Art” tackles this conundrum through the lens of friendship and unmet expectations.
This we all know to be true: art is among the most polarizing of intellectual constructs. Hence the adage “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Experts and aficionados bicker over their bias like it’s the very hill they would die on.
Yasmina Reza’s Art, Repertory Philippines’ latest season offering, takes on such a conundrum through the lens of three friends quibbling over a piece of…art. What they aren’t ready for are all the little cracks their rhetoric reveals when everything is said and done.
Translated from Reza’s original work by Christopher Hampton, this staging of Art is set in present day Paris. British actor and writer Freddie Sawyer is Marc, who is acerbic and opinionated. Here Lies Love and Bridgerton alum Martin Sarreal, who is British-Filipino, plays art patron Serge. Completing this friend group is multi-faceted actor and theater veteran Brian Sy as the mildly neurotic Yvan.
The fourth character in this story is a painting. An all-white painting bought by Serge for what his friends think is a ridiculous price. From there, chaos—of the intellectual and verbose kind—ensues as they argue the merits, or the lack thereof, of said art. Or are they talking about something else?
Once the actors step on stage, it’s clear that director Victor Lirio’s intent is focused on harnessing his actors’ abilities to bring truth and life to the text. Moving from one scene to the next, he keeps the repartee sharp and tight. He strikes a balance between push and pull, as they jump from intensely quiet conversations to explosive emotional outbursts.
Related story: REVIEW: The humanity of ‘Come from Away’ and the hilarious brutality of ‘Art’
Related story: Manila Symphony Orchestra’s ‘A Night in Hollywood’ brings blockbuster music to life
This allows for the script’s wit and humor to stand out without sacrificing the innate gravitas of the writing. Setting it in present day gives room for a little more flexibility in tonality and approach. A bit more irreverent, a little less polished—beyond what the script necessarily prescribes.
Keeping the blocking sparse and deliberate for the most part is a creative choice that serves the play well. Limiting the movement to just one space—signifying change merely through signs and words—also keeps your focus on the characters sans the distraction of changing sets. Mind you, watching Art requires active mental participation and reading (or listening) between the lines.
That patintero-esque choreography in the beginning though doesn’t quite stick the landing at first, but makes total sense come curtain call. Do keep the faith on that one! Perhaps the only thing that felt clunky and superfluous is that bell used as transitional device. It’s jarring, as though to check if you are still awake and paying attention from your seat. Which, I guarantee, we all were.
Without drawing any comparisons to the first time I saw Art some 20 odd years ago, this casting is quite apt. Sarreal, Sawyer, and Sy play their characters well, accents and all. Some scenes are giving The Three Stooges, leaning towards the uptight and acerbic. Comedic and wry, they slyly pull punches under the guise of everyday banter—and they deliver!
Even the characterizations are on point. Sawyer embodies Marc’s bruised ego, hiding this with arrogance and swagger. Sarreal moves with the sophisticated cadence of a bohemian artiste, layering his frustration with swathes of diplomacy. But it is Sy who becomes the crux of Art. His minutes-long soliloquy about wedding invitations is emotional, a few notches shy of neurotic. He sets the tone for the conflict that follows, caught in between his bickering friends, with equal intensity. Then they turn on him. The three actors take the text by the horns, figuratively speaking, mirroring each other’s energy and capacity. In doing so, they allow this study of human relationships to hold space as it is meant to.
Related story: Banksy mural in Venice to be restored—but not everybody’s happy about it
Related story: Precious but empty: The contradictions of Nicola Bolla’s ‘Van Gogh’ chair
Related story: REVIEW: Pixar’s ‘Elio’ hits different when you’ve never quite fit in
Here is the takeaway: any kind of discourse requires some degree of preparation. Deep conversations that come out of nowhere tend to charge down unexpected paths, calling for intellectual and emotional dexterity to dodge any slings and arrows flung your way.
What starts out as differing opinions on one thing becomes a brutally honest look at the true state of a longstanding friendship. As it does in Art. Reza forces the audience to wrestle with the idea of unmet expectations and hidden resentment, especially in the closest of relationships. The cracks start out microscopic, felt only in the most mundane of things. Like the friend who is late for a dinner reservation, greeted with heavily veiled pleasantries to disguise annoyance. Until something, like a contentious all-white painting, tips the scales and breaks the dam wide open. Harsh truths spew forth, and for Marc, Serge, and Yvan, becomes an intellectual discourse on life, friendship, and yes, art. With a side of crazy.
They do find what looks like a middle ground, and they remain friends. Until you realize it is rooted in a half-truth. So you wonder—is it driven by a need for self-preservation? Or a need to keep someone’s ego in check? If so, what does that say of the human condition?
You have one more weekend to catch Art, which runs until June 29, over at Repertory Philippines Eastwood Theater. Whether you have a profound appreciation of art, or are just going on what you learned in school, it’s definitely worth a watch (and the drive over, if you’re from Makati like me). Art will give you a lot to chew on and digest after, figuratively speaking, so might as well do it over some beer and burritos.
Tickets for Art are available at Ticketworld.
