'ART' more about friendship than aesthetics

Ever walk into a modern art gallery, see a painting, and think, "I could do better myself?" Well, Yasmina Reza's play "ART" deals with exactly these sentiments over modern art. A character named Serge (played by Sam Wooten) has purchased a white-on-white painting for 200,000 Francs. His friend Marc (Jonathan Molitor) doesn't think very highly of the painting and criticizes his friend for spending a fortune for nothing more than an ostensibly blank canvas. Marc and Serge bring a third friend, Yvan (José Antonio García), into the quarrel by forcing him to take sides over the new painting, even though he could care less. Yvan, after all, is about to be married and has his own family difficulties to overcome. The three have a brawl and nearly lose their friendship. At the climactic moment, Serge offers Marc a marker. Marc draws a skier on the painting, and the three friends have dinner. The conflict is finally resolved when all three friends erase the drawing and retie their bonds of friendship, although on shakier grounds than before.\nThe IU performance, which opened this past Friday, had some extremely convincing acting. Wooten conveyed every bit of the elitism and self-congratulation characteristic of modern art lovers while remaining a rather bland professional, which is what Serge is. Molitor gave a wonderfully vivid portrayal of a fanatic who tries to impress his views on others without concern for their friendship. And lastly, but certainly not least, García's interpretation of Yvan, a spineless, easily controlled man with psychological problems, was delightfully realistic. His ranting and raving caught the true nature of Yvan's character and probably created the most pathos with the audience. As far as setting was concerned, the stage decoration was at a bare minimum. A white floor, three pieces of furniture, a doorframe, and an occasional painting were all that comprised the decorations. If this were a Shakespeare performance, minimalism would certainly be a detriment. In "ART," however, minimalism of decoration was required to complement the inherent minimalism of the play, only three characters, three scenes, and a white canvas. Lighting was just about as minimal as decoration, but just as effective in its simplicity. \nThe only slightly unpleasant attribute to the performance was the music used during scene changes. It sounded like Darth Vader breathing and trying to play rhythm sticks. Ugly, yes, but still, this is only a trifle compared to the successful manipulation of scenery.\nAlthough the performance was for the most part top-notch, the play itself was slightly less than enjoyable. The dialogue was extremely nonsensical and abstruse (and definitely not for people with a small vocabulary). It is true one character is a drug addict and another psychologically troubled, but if this is the case, why not choose some characters with substance? \nIn addition to the disjunctive dialogue, the play boasted a profusion of profanities. Yes, they add to the "realism" of the play, but they certainly take a great deal of class out of it as well. The monologues which are supposed to convey the characters' inner thoughts are almost completely unnecessary because the characters reveal everything in them to the other characters anyway. No dramatic progression was made. The "issue" of the painting just sat and festered for most of the play then the climax just springs up suddenly like a mushroom out of nowhere. The resolution also was disheartening. No character came to a deeper understanding of his friends; they just kissed and made up but on unstable terms. It's almost as if the ending were stuck on to wrap up loose ends.\n"The play is less about art than about friendship," director Murray McGibbon said. And that's definitely true. Throughout the play, the audience grew less and less concerned about the artistic issues than about the relationships being broken. The dynamics of the friendships in the play were exactly the ones found in most friendships, which caused any viewer to take particular interest in the action. Regardless of the muddled dialogue and stagnant action, the viewer sees himself and all the stupid things he does to jeopardize his own friendships on that stage. In this respect, the play is a real eye-opener, if nothing else. But make your own conclusions: the play will also be showing this weekend.\n"ART" will be performed at the Wells-Metz theater from Oct. 14 to 19. Tickets cost $15 ($13 for seniors and students with a valid ID) and can be purchased at the IU Auditorium Box Office. For more information call 333-9955.