ART | Staged Theatre Company & Anywhere Festival
The Tony, Olivier and Moliere Award winning play from the 1990’s, ART , is presented to an Australian audience for the first time during the 2023 Anywhere Festival.
ART was originally written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and is presented in the festival by Staged Theatre Company in their debut performance. Comedy ensues in the play after Serge, played by Mark Dunlop, acquires a painting for an exorbitant amount, much to the dismay of his two closest friends. Serge is adamant that the painting was a clever purchase and that his friends simply do not understand the fine arts. The character-driven story follows the friends as they squabble and argue over what is ultimately unimportant.
The most significant departure from the original script is the genderbending of one of the main characters. The art sceptic of the group is now Natalia, played by Jessi Schmidt. Throughout the narrative, Natalia finds the purchase of the painting ridiculous and is subsequently mocked for her apparent lack of culture. Genderbending this role felt like an appropriate change. Natalia is demeaned by her male friends in a way that feels inherently sexist. She is referred to as ‘sweetheart’ and implored to read more to understand the work. This extra layer to the disagreements between the friends landed well and was a clever shift from the original material.
Rounding out the trio is Yvan played by Tom Jermyn. Yvan is torn between his two strong-willed friends and tries his best to be agreeable despite increasing tensions. Tom’s performance was especially memorable. His portrayal of the character was punctuated by physical comedy and fitting nervous energy.
As part of the Anywhere Festival, this play was held in a screening room at the Institute of Modern Art. The small space allowed for an intimate performance, something uncommon in Brisbane theatre. All audience members were within meters of the actors, creating an engaging environment in which to enjoy the show.
Another change to the script was the setting of events in Melbourne, with the National Gallery of Victoria mentioned as a punch-line. While I appreciate the adjustment of the script to be more relevant to a Brisbane audience, I feel the performance would have been just as funny, if not more so, if set in our city.
More local theatre is always a good thing. Even with a few opening night hiccups, the performance put on by Staged Theatre Company was enjoyable and a great adaptation. It will be interesting to see what this company puts on next.
‘ART’ plays as a part of the 2023 Anywhere Festival until 21 May at the Institute of Modern Art, The Valley.
