Reviewer: Mark DeWolf-Ott
Venue: Bay City Players
Art’ is a play by the French playwright, Yasmina Reza. The play premiered in Paris in 1994. It was translated to English by Christopher Hampton, a British writer and author, in 1996 and played in the West End of London. The Broadway production ran from 1998 – 1999 starring Alan Alda, Victor Garber, Alfred Molina. It won a Tony for Best Play in 1998.
It is now a production of the Bay City Player’s, 1214 Columbus Avenue, Bay City, Saturday, October 1, at 7:30 pm. and Sunday October 12 at 3:00 pm. It is directed by Zoey Schwab a veteran of The Bay City Player’s. She also directed this play in high school as part of her curriculum. She is pursuing a career in playwrighting herself.
A longtime friendship between three men is put to the test after one of them buys a piece of abstract art that’s described as a five-foot by four-foot white canvas with three white lines. Are friendships able to move beyond this or ruined for good?
Labeled as a serious comedy (an oxymoron) the play explores the bonds of friendships and navigating between the pluses and minuses of them. And maybe a little bit of commentary on the value of art. It takes place in 1996 Paris.
The cast includes Jon Zdrojewski/Marc, Jason Gorczyca/Serge, and Kevin Deer/Yvan. The actors talk to the audience as well as each other, as a way of giving us background. The dialogue is intense. The monologues are lengthy and deep. It’s a lot of work for a three-day production. Kevin Deer stands out as Yvan because it’s his first play and he is so animated.
The audience seemed to enjoy it by giving it a standing ovation.
Yasmina Reza, a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her play ‘God of Carnage’. Her mother was a Hungarian violinist, and her father was a Persian Jewish businessman. All living in France. Talk about diversity.
And what a coincidence, ‘Art’ is currently playing at New York City’s Music Box Theater until December 21, 2025, with Bobby Cannavale, James Corden, and Neil Patrick Harris. So, by going to the Bay City Player’s theater, you will save yourself a bunch of time, hotel costs, and a whole lot less on tickets.
If you have a few extra minutes before the show, there are white on white works of art on display in the lobby of the theater by Joanne Grabinski of Mt. Pleasant. If you wish to purchase one of the works, she will color it to your liking.