Art

When it comes to fashion, food trends or theater, Milwaukeeans have learned to be patient.  It can take months - even years - before the latest hit migrates to the Midwest. In the case of Art, which has gone `round the world since its Berlin opening in 1994, the wait has definitely been worth it.  A sleek, sassy and highly polished production currently graces the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's main stage.  At first glance, the play has a relatively simple plot: three men, all close friends for 15 years, learn that one of them has purchased a painting.  Not just any painting, however. This is an all-white canvas (although much is made of its subtle lines and colors). 

Serge, a dermatologist who can ill afford to dabble in the world of art collecting, has purchased it for an unbelievably astonishing price.  His friends are the critical Marc, an aeronautical engineer, and the fence-sitting Yvan, who tries to keep peace between his buddies but ends up with the worst end of the quarrels.  (To get a sense of how juicy the men's roles really are, consider the actors who have performed them over the years: Alan Alda, Albert Finney, Victor Garber and Alfred Molina - not all in the same production, of course).  While the friends bicker, preen and, at times, utter absolute nonsense, they are making some definite points about contemporary art, lifestyles and the nature of friendship.  Indeed, the friendship becomes so strained over the play's swift 90 minutes that it seems certain to end.  Each man reaches the end of his patience and, for a moment, considers walking out of his friends' lives.  The audience may be puzzled at the forces that brought this odd trio together, but they are mesmerized at the subtle dance of friendship taking place before their eyes.  It is Serge, who has caused the trouble in the first place, who must extend the olive branch and save the friendship (although, in a hilarious twist, this becomes a bowl of olives ceremoniously passed between the three men). 

James Pickering portrays Marc as the oldest but certainly not the wisest of the men; he teeters impressively between pretension and real feelings.  Torrey Hanson (Yvan), the youngest and least stable of the friends, gives an ongoing rant about wedding woes that is one of the play's finest moments.  Hanson plays the jittery nebbish so well that this part seems tailor-made to his talents.  As Serge, Lee Ernst is the least predictable and the most fun to watch.  He keeps the audiences on its toes as he sways between his new passion, contemporary art, and the comfortable familiarity of his friends. After a few rounds of verbal fencing between the men, one can understand Serge's affection for something as uncomplicated as a white canvas. 

The production is beautifully supported by set designer Geoffrey Curley's innovative use of space and Mara Blumenfeld's casually chic costumes.