Joseph Manino photo by Gerry Goodstein.
Yasmina Reza is the psychological social worker of playwrights. She specializes in analyzing the quirks, problems, convictions of upper middle class fools whose façades are destroyed by their own foibles. Art takes three reasonably successful Parisians and follows how their jealousies and hidden—perhaps not so hidden—weaknesses rip them apart.
Serge, a doctor, purchases a totally white painting for an enormous amount of money and his friend Marc, an engineer, denigrates him for his pretentiousness and then tries to bring befuddled, soon-to-be-married, Yvan into the emotional fracas only to blow up their longtime three-way friendship bringing them literally to blows. How can three civilized men crumble so quickly?
With a bone-chilling detachment Reza simply has each character talk long enough to hang himself with his own words, offending the others with unbidden insights and hypocritical character assassinations. Where did Marc’s insulting comments about the painting actually come from? True critical acumen or deep seated jealousy of Serge’s success? Why do Serge and Marc bedevil poor Yvan with deprecating remarks about his fiancée? Is it to feel superior or are they honestly concerned about the insufficiencies of his intended? In the final scene all three friends are gathered ostensibly for a pleasant night out but wind up in a fist fight over the painting, over putdowns but most of all to release all the pent up anger and feelings of inadequacy each friend has caused the other two to feel, all starting with the purchase of the stupid work of “art.”
As Serge, the most debonair and best off of the three, Joe Menino was smooth and unflappable, so it was particularly fascinating to see his veneer crack, which he did with expert nuance. Brian A. Costello as the slightly hippyish Marc, who thinks of himself as a free thinker, the man whose profanity-laden treatment of Serge and his art purchase starts the play rolling, has refined pretentiousness to a fine art. To see so many rugs pulled out from under him is a joy to behold as embodied by Mr. Costello. As the shaggy dog Yvan, Jason O’Connell has perhaps the most difficult character to enact. Although Yvan is pathetic and masochistic, Mr. O’Connell, mostly through his yearning glances and hangdog body language, makes him so sympathetic he almost steals the show from his sensational comrades. All three are topnotch actors and keep Reza’s tennis match of emotions going strong.
Gus Kaikkonen directed these actors expertly. The play never faltered even when the actors spoke directly to the audience. He subtly choreographed Ms. Reza’s play making its inner rhythms palpable.
Scenic Designer Jay Ryan’s elegantly simple room easily transformed into each character’s abode, complete with witty painting reproductions. Sam Fleming’s costumes clearly defined who these people are.
Art by Yasmina Reza
The Phoenix Theatre Ensemble
195 East 3rd St. (at Ave. B)
New York, NY
December 8th-18th, 2011
Tickets: http://www.PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org or 212-352-3101