Art

Art, like theater or wine or beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and despite what critics or other so-called experts may say, it boils down to a single fact: If you (or I) like the painting or the play or the wine or whatever else we may be discussing, that's enough to make a judgment. If we don't, well, that's what "Art" is all about.

Yasmina Reza's play about a painting and its effect on three Parisian friends opened last night at the Grandel Theatre as a St. Louis Black Repertory Company production, to run through May 23. It's strong entertainment, hitting close to home on many levels, though Andrea Frye's smooth direction occasionally showed flawed pacing. Ron Himes, as Serge, who bought the painting; Robert A. Mitchell, as Yvan; and Tim Schall, as Marc, all delivered strong performances.

Serge paid 200,000 francs for the art in question, an all-white painting about four by five feet in size. The fact that the Black Rep is performing a play about a white painting, with a cast that is racially mixed, may be Himes' own little joke, or it may be a coincidence, but deeper meanings aren't obvious.

Serge is very proud of his acquisition, and shows it off to his friends. Marc hates it, and expresses his feelings in blunt, not-to-be-misinterpreted language, without euphemisms or diplomatic verbiage. Yvan is ambivalent; he doesn't understand it, but he doesn't want to hurt his friend's feelings. The discussion, fueled by white wine on an empty stomach, soon wanders afield. Attacks move from the painting to the people. Mitchell, pretentious and with his nose in the air both figuratively and literally, is a delight, and his lengthy monologue about women is a show-stopper. Schall, blocky in build, is a splendid physical contrast to the other actors. Himes, dapper and debonair, comes across like the New Yorker magazine's mascot and anniversary cover subject, Eustace Tilley.

The argument rages, with all three men doing a terrible job in terms of following rules of debate, but excellent work in terms of cutting-edge attacks. Himes rips into Schall's wife, both of them team to a rant about Mitchell's fiancee and their role in a wedding only a few days away. On the debit, side, the escalation of anger and heat seemed to go too fast. A slower build-up might have been more effective.

Tech values were outstanding. Dunsi Dai, working with far more space than most local theaters allow him, has kept everyghing clean and modern, to the point where the painting might almost have belonged. Linda Kennedy's costume design was appropriate, and someone --lighting designer David K. Warfel and/or technical director Ethan Shavers, perhaps-- deserves a lot of credit for a complex scheme that made other paintings appear and disappear from the walls, and for the light painting of a skier that served as somewhat of a metaphor.

Solid acting from all three actors, and good entertainment for those who love to eavesdrop on other people's arguments.

"Art," by the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, at the Grandel Theatre through May 23.

-Joe

Comments

[David K. Warfel]

As is typical in the collaborative world of theatre, credit for the lighting effects should go to the whole team- Andrea Frye for being the first to mention "projections," Dunsi Dai for designing light boxes, Ethan Shavers for engineering them, Erin Keller for finding the picture lights, Jane Ury for wiring it all up and adding lighting instruments every day, and Richard Agnew for calling the cues and running the video each night. Working with the Black Rep is always fabulous because of the great folks!