Though modern art can be hopelessly uninteresting, it can foment the type of conversation that gets personal -- very personal. Especially among mediocre, middle-aged, upper-middle class, boring-as-hell white guys. Who might be gay.
Art, the play, revolves around a square painting -- all white, with white lines -- bought by Serge (Carl Schurr). Why anyone would buy a painting of a void is beyond the comprehension of his friend Marc (Robert Ari). The purchase stems from Serge's mid-life crisis-inspired attempt at being an elitist snob, and so Marc is unapologetic and unyielding in his criticism. The third amigo, Yvan (Ben Lipitz) flounders indecisively on the matter, as he tends to do with everything.
Serge, Marc and Yvan each represent different shades of the same search for some identity beyond jobs, wives and things. Serge, the dermatologist with enough money to buy such an absurd painting, is the type of person who would read this article simply because it is in the "Culture" section of the magazine. The blissfully neurotic Yvan would read it for sheer fun and enjoyment, too busy to notice what page it was on. The slightly too George Costanza-esque Marc would skip the section altogether simply because it is called "Culture."
The plot stretches and pulls at the extremes of the apparently worn and frayed friendship between Serge, Marc and Yvan, brilliantly swapping around two-against-one alliances in a matter of seconds. The timing is near perfect, as the three actors move quickly enough not to let any hard and fast ganging-up on any one character. Yet the dialogue masters the comedic pause. In a few instances the otherwise fast-paced banter stops for minutes at a time while the three exchange hilarious looks between themselves and the painting.
In the action of the play, Art works beautifully. Even as the intellectual tension between the three characters builds, they draw closer together physically and emotionally. However, the three actors don't seem genuinely comfortable with each other until a few scenes into the play. In part, this discomfort is part of the script -- Serge's giant, white purchase sets off a fury that has been building for years. Still, it is not until much later in the show that we understand the depth and complexity of the relationships between the men. Only then do the three finally display the intimacy of old friends who have undoubtedly had conflicts in the past.
Art's greatest success lies in its unwavering refusal to allow any one character to be entirely right or entirely wrong. Like any art, a white-on-white painting can be beautiful, touching, poetic and profound -- while still sucking gloriously.
