Peggy and I were privileged to see a Steppenwolf production of “ART ” by Yasmina Reza. The story takes place in the homes of three men friends who profess to be interested in art. All three, however, have different tastes in what they hang on their walls. The story begins when one of the friends buys a piece of modern art which is a totally white canvas. He excitedly invites his buddy of fifteen years to see the new acquisition. The friend looks at it, and breaks into hysterical laughter. “You paid 250,000 francs for that?” he asks in a laugh. The rest of the play centers on the relationship that has developed between three of them. They begin telling truths about each other that have been hidden deep within. Not wanting to hurt each others feelings, the truths have been suppressed, now the painting opens them up. The ninety minute presentation flew by and had us spellbound as the three characters parried with each other revealing secrets harbored for years. In the end they resolve their conflicts. None of them wants to destroy the bond developed between them. They arrive at a mutual acceptance of each others tastes and belief’s in act of love that took us by surprise.
After the play ended, we stayed for the discussion that followed. One of the actors came on stage and answered questions as well as his own insights into his role. We pyschoanalyzed the play with about a dozen others who remained.
An evening well spent, I give it five stars *****
Filed under: family, Theater, Uncategorized | Tagged: ART, Feelings, Landscape Art, love, Male Relationships, Modern Art, Psychoanalysis, Relationships, Secrets, steppenwolf, Traditional Art, Yasmina Reza | Leave a comment »
Wow! What a fabulous time Peg and I had last week. My friend Lou and his wife Delores, came in from Dahlonega, Georgia to visit family. We were lucky enough to hook up, so we traded news and recalled old times. Lou is the same guy who joined me on a bicycle trip to Nova Scotia (you can read the account of our trip on my Page titled “Nova Scotia.”) We worked together for some twenty years before he moved to a warm climate for health reasons.
