Nick's Place

Nicholas Barnard Art 10/23/00

I have purchased some paper, its eight inches by eleven and a half inches. Its white, in fact completely white, no lines, skiers, or ideas. Boring right? I hope not, you're seeing that paper now. Art's central prop is a white painting four foot by five. Boring right? No. To an average television indoctrinated theatregoer, this is an unthinkable situation, listening to three people talk for an hour and a half about white paintings? But, Art is the most accessible theatre piece I have seen in a long while. The only suspension of disbelief that is needed is buying into the characters - something that television watchers do everyday. Art is one of the most accessible small theatre pieces in existence.

Any show lives or dies by its author, Art is no exception. Art focuses around it characters, it doesn't try to be a totally different style, but it focuses on realistic characters, with appropriate dialogue, and a audience silencing climax that even Sprint's pindrop service would be hard to replicate.

Art's character driven script demands realistic acting and the acting team for Art was up for the challenge. Dissecting the acting for Art is impossible, if not for the fact that I spoke with a few of the actors afterward, I would believe that the Human Race theatre had found someway to realistically import three English speaking Frenchmen to

The Loft every evening and allow them to play out about their friendships.

Marsha Hanna's direction of Art is ubiquitous. She correctly relies on the script and the character to move the action forward. Every decision fits into this. The tight lighting on the character's siliquoys and the minimalist set force the audience back toward the characters. Her pacing of the piece keeps it moving along at a reasonable pace, while still allowing each character their time to breath and develop. She fully utilizes without making a point of fully utilizing the stage.

The staging technicals of Art properly followed Hanna's direction and were unobtrusive. The set was a minimalist wall with an unobtrusive four-piece living room setup. The lighting moved the audience around when needed, and silently set the necessary somber mood. The music also provided a silent hand to reinforce the emotions that were displayed on stage

I had the fortune of the seeing Art twice. Each time the audience responded in a totally different way. The first time we erupted in ruckus laughter and even provided an instant judging of the characters with unified noises. The second time the audience was trying to wrench the full meaning from the play in thoughtful contemplation, only a few times responding audibly to the antics onstage.

Art is an enjoyable hour and a half look into Yvan's, Serge's, and Marc's lives and relationships. It will also make you reevaluate your own relationships and delve into deeper subjects examining your effect on those around you. Hurrah to the Human Race for an enjoyable and thought provoking evening of theatre.