‘Art’: All-star cast shines in revival

‘ART’: Bobby Cannavale & Neil Patrick Harris. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

ART
By Yasmina Reza
Translated by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Scott Ellis
The Music Box
239 West 45^th Street
https://artonbroadway.com/
 

By Scott Harrah

Star power, dynamic performances and dark humor are the main reasons to see this winning Broadway revival of Art. The show won the Tony Award for Best Play back in 1998. Is a 27-year-old show featuring an overpriced painting still relevant? Of course. And with a stellar cast including Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden and Bobby Cannavale, the classic Yazmina Reza play is one of the hottest tickets in town.

Pricey painting

Successful dermatologist Serge (Mr. Harris) spends 200,000 francs on an all-white painting by a famous artist that purportedly has several white lines somewhere in the middle. When he invites his two best friends over to show it off, they are not amused.

Marc (Mr. Cannavale) is outraged when he sees the painting and hears how much Serge spent. He crudely dismisses the artwork as a “white piece of s**t” and accuses Serge of becoming pretentious.

The high-strung Yvan (Mr. Corden) at first tries to be neutral. He’s all worked up about his upcoming wedding and attempts to diffused the tension between the Marc and Serge to no avail.

Subtext more relevant in 2025

The title and setup of Art suggests the play is simply about the subjective nature of what is or is not considered “art.” However, the subtext of playwright Yasmina Reza’s story is far more relevant nearly 30 years later: The precarious and fragile nature of longtime friendships, particularly among men.

Marc is horrified that Serge would spend so much money on such a gimmicky painting. He is so contemptuous toward Serge that it puts their 25-year friendship in jeopardy.

Yvan tries in vain to make peace between the two old pals but he ends up simply annoying them instead of improving matters.

The one-act play starts out as an argument about art but quickly becomes a nasty emotional meltdown for all three friends. They wonder if they can all remain friends after such a vitriolic evening.

Great direction & performances

Director Scott Ellis extracts fine performances from the cast.

Neil Patrick Harris is magnificent as Serge, the wealthy doctor who finds it odd that anyone wouldn’t think the painting he bought was great art.

Bobby Cannavale is superb as the angry, argumentative aeronautical engineer Marc.

One of the nicest surprises is just how good James Corden is as the insecure Yvan. Mr. Corden often steals the show with his many neurotic outbursts and temper tantrums. He’s a bit too slapstick at times, but the audience seemed to enjoy his over-the-top antics at the performance this reviewer attended.

Art, like art itself, won’t please everyone but this revival is a lot of fun regardless. There is no question as to why it’s a must-see this fall.

Published October 2, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on September 25, 2025

‘ART’: Bobby Cannavale. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘ART’: James Corden. Photo: Matthew Murphy.