Hi everyone, and welcome to a new review! Finally back after a summer break!

Today, I’m bringing you the first of two reviews. First up is Art by Yasmina Reza! This play tells the story of Serge, an aspiring art collector. One day, he buys an incredibly expensive piece of art. But sadly, his closest friends don’t see the appeal of the painting. It’s a story of friendship between three people, with some hard truths they’ve likely been avoiding for years.

Going in, I had never heard of this play, which is often the case with the shows I attend. So, I had no expectations based on previous performances. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the show—the first ten minutes felt uncertain—but I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of moments when my friends and I had similar conversations or experiences, so I could really connect with the characters. Each character approached situations from their own perspectives, which provided a refreshing take on how an object—or someone else’s interest—can affect people differently.

The use of colour was brilliantly done! Everything was vibrant and stood out. I love it when shows do this, as it really helps those with some usable vision distinguish the set from the characters and even the characters from one another. The edge lighting between scenes made the transitions exciting to watch—something I actually looked forward to.

I was grateful this was a comedy, as I think I would have struggled to fully understand the story without it. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoyed the show and its story! However, there were several moments when I had little understanding of a line or point a character was making, but the comedy more than made up for it.

There was great use of contrast throughout the play, in the props, sets, and costumes. This is something I always like to praise, as it makes the show much easier to follow from a visual perspective. Each character had a distinct voice and accent, which made it easy to follow who was speaking and to whom. While a lot of colour was used throughout the show, it didn’t have much impact on the plot itself, apart from the painting. But this was described by the characters multiple times, which was helpful.

Unfortunately, there are no accessibility performances of any kind, which is disappointing. Would I say an Audio Described performance is necessary? On this occasion, I’d say no. But it would have been nice for audiences to have the option of an accessible performance and a Touch Tour.

Overall, I liked this show. The performances from all the actors were great—they really connected with the audience. While the story was a bit hard to follow at times, the comedy made it more understandable and enjoyable. I would have loved to see accessibility performances, especially since the show is on tour in the UK. Hopefully, other theatres on the tour will offer them.

Art by Yasmina Reza and directed by Iqbal Khan will be running at The Mercury Theatre from 18th-21st September 2024, with a full UK tour to follow! More information and ticket details can be found on The Mercury Theatre website by clicking the link here.

Until next time,
The VI Critic

Trailer: