ART’ at Company of Fools
BY YANNA LANTZ
August 9-13, Company of Fools will present the Tony Award-winning, wickedly funny comedy “ART” by playwright Yasmina Reza. This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of the English translation by Christopher Hampton, and the play will run at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey.
“We have a very interesting 21st season and this is a piece that we have really wanted to do that showcases three fabulously talented actors,” said Director Denise Simone. “I think my favorite thing about this play is the exploration of seeing what we want to see, but sometimes the situation changes, and then we see what we have to see to get what we want. It’s a very active thing to explore.”
“ART” follows three longtime friends: Serge, Marc and Yvan. When Serge buys a very expensive piece of art that is white with white strips that can’t really be seen, the piece of art cracks the triad of friends wide open and takes the characters to the cliff of their relationship.
“It’s about friendship and art and how those two things mix together,” said Joel Vilinsky, who plays Serge. “We fight like a bunch of middle schoolers while learning to grow and shift together.”
“My character believes art is whatever makes you happy, which is what gets him in a lot of trouble later on because he’s saying one thing to one character and another thing to another character because he’s trying to keep everybody happy,” said Chris Carwithen, who plays Yvan. “If you have a bold opinion, there’s going to be someone who disagrees with you. But to Yvan, his friendships are infinitely more important than a painting.”
To Marc, the painting is an overpriced joke, but Serge insists that Marc doesn’t possess the proper sensibility to appreciate the work.
“It’s a status thing,” explained Scott Creighton, who plays Marc. “I see my friend be taken in by snobbery, and how he now thinks he’s a connoisseur, while I think the painting is a piece of crap. But it’s not about the painting; I can’t believe my friend has turned into such a snob and left me behind. We’re fighting over Yvan so we can win, but there’s really nothing to win.”
Although the subject mater of the play and talk of relationships is very serious, the result is sheer comedy because the characters are so serious about something so seemingly inconsequential.
“It’s the humorousness of relationships that really comes through for me,” Creighton said. “They are desperately trying to stay friends in the face of this insurmountable schism. It’s not easy to dismiss a friend.”
There are several moments in the play where the characters break away and talk directly to the audience.
“I love that the playwright has us as the audience play juror,” Simone said. “Each character makes their case and it’s all about the active communion between the characters and audience.”
Tickets for “ART” may be purchased online at sunvalleycenter.org, by phone at (208) 578-9122 or at the Liberty Theatre box office starting one hour prior to curtain. Company of Fools’ box office is located at the Liberty Theatre, 110 N. Main Street in Hailey, with hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. All seats are reserved, with the exception of the “Pay What You Feel” preview (August 9).