How much is ‘Art’ worth?
INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE
Yasmina Reza’s Tony Awardwinning, 1994 play “Art” asks its audience how much it would pay for a white-on-white painted canvas as a finished work of art. But it also asks its characters how much their friendship is worth.
And Long Beach’s International City Theatre (ICT) begins its 36th season with this question: How much would you pay to watch a virtual production of “Art”? With theaters still unable to host patrons because of COVID-19 restrictions, the theater company pivoted, moving its choice for a season ender to the opening and presenting it as a streamable broadcast. Starting Feb. 18, theater and art enthusiasts can watch the show on demand for $30 per household.
Familiar faces to the ICT, Brent Schindele, Michael Uribes and Brian Stanton star as the chums in the caryn desai-directed production of playwright/screenwriter Christopher Hampton’s translation of Reza’s play. Serge (Schindele) purchases the canvas for €200,000, setting off a confrontation between himself and Marc (Uribes) that puts Yvan (Stanton) in the middle.
The virtual performance is available via www.International-CityTheatre.org every Thursday-Sunday until March 7.
