How much would you pay for a white painting? Disley Theatrical Productions bring Art to the Weston at Theatr Clwyd. Written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, we follow the friendship of three men, Marc, Serge and Yvan.
Serge has spent a huge amount of money on a white painting, a five foot by four foot white painting with a few diagonal white lines. But this purchase causes a huge rift between Serge and Marc. Then Yvan comes along, not wanting to upset anyone and tries to play the happy medium but only upsetting himself more.
Simon Phillips as Marc is commanding, honest and frank, not buying in to the fact that Serge actually loves this piece of art and feels something when he looks at it. Chris Jones brings a calmness to Serge which balances out Marc’s fiery side. And Stuart Rathe’s Yvan is brilliant. A man on the edge, oversharing everything, throwing all his energy in to the part while trying to hold the friendship together. They each bring a great amount of comedy to what could be a serious piece but Rathe has us laughing out loud for many reasons.
Directed by Simon Phillips, the piece shows us how friendship can be close one minute and explosive and volatile the next. That not everyone is the same and that you need to live in your own life, not one that is moulded and shaped by someone else.
The set by Mark Disley is simple, three areas with their own colour back walls with a chair or sofa in each and a piece of art in the background. As simple as it looks, it works very well and helps bring the cast together when needed to and allows them to split off when the story dictates. Lighting provided by Tom at Theatr Clwyd is simple and points out each area when needed to direct our attention. I especially enjoyed the end lighting which just focused on the art pieces.
The company have brought a great piece of theatre to life and a real look at friendship and showing us that art is subjective and you should allow people to have their own feelings and not to try and control that.
Art is running at Theatr Clwyd until Saturday 18th July with tickets available at www.theatrclwyd.com
Reviewer: Damian Riverol
Reviewed: 15th July 2026
North West End UK Rating: