Theater review of Art .... my reflection

Essay by StartechUniversity, Bachelor'sB+, October 2003

download word file, 3 pages 2.5

Downloaded 45 times

Review of Art

Yasmina Reza's, "Art" was an excellent portrayal of the slice of life realism in friendships. It was a great example of how people react when confronted with their insecurities and how those insecurities affect one's ego. Overall, I thought Dan Hale did a good job with this production at St. Ambrose University.

How a person sees himself and how he thinks others see him can be one in the same. In most cases, it is not so closely related. Some people project a certain persona so they will feel accepted in the eyes of their peers. For example, Yvan being the joker, but yet going home feeling lonely and Marc the authoritarian who needs constant reassurance to boost his ego. Eventually, those projections become believable within the mind of the beholder. The theme of this play is about a small group of friends who force each other to examine not only their obvious outward personality traits, but their inner conflicts as well, resulting in the discovery of a fine painting and a renewed friendship.

For the most part, the play kept my interest. Each character played their stereotypical part to the fullest, which made it rather amusing. I could relate to each character in some way. We have all had friends or have come across people similar to Marc, Yvan and Serge. Marc was hilarious with his open criticism. Yvan's indecisiveness and willingness to follow along was comical. Last, but not least, Serge, who takes a little something from each person he encounters and allows himself accept his growth. I still do not know if that growth was for his personal satisfaction or was it for acceptance from others.

There are times when an actor can effectively use dramatics and pacing to get a point across.