Theater review: Barnstable Comedy Club's comedic look at friendship is a work of 'Art'

The show: "Art," written by Yasmina Reza, translated from the French by Christopher Hampton, presented by Barnstable Comedy Club.

What it's about: Modern art aficionado Serge (Frank Hughes, Jr.) has bought a painting. It’s by a popular contemporary artist, and he has paid the budget-busting price of $35,000 for his new prized possession. He’s dying to show off the new centerpiece of his life to longtime friends Marc (Patrick Preston) and Yvan (Todd Yates Gosselin). Marc is the first to get a glimpse of the canvas, which is, to use the perfectly accurate French word, blanc. That’s right: It’s all white. Marc is nothing if not straightforward, labeling the work s—t from the start, prompting Serge to label him a cynic and anti-modernist. Of course, Yvan — beleaguered by the disastrous lead-up to his upcoming wedding — soon enters the fray. What follows is an often hilarious, and in the end touching, look at that invaluable commodity: friendship.

See it or not: Go for the unusual blend of intellectual tête á têtes, humor and touching emotional interaction. Reviewer Jack Kroll of Newsweek described the show’s treatment of issues of life and art as being expressed “in outbursts that sound like Don Rickles with a degree from the Sorbonne.”

Highlight of the show: Almost everything about the show is minimalist, from the painting (of course), to a cast of just three people, to the stark set, with its complete lack of accouterments. (Scene changes — from one character’s apartment to another’s — are indicated by paintings slid into a frame on the back wall.) Under Lance Norris’ direction, the one thing that’s far from minimalist is the interaction of the three leads. From discussions about the meaning of art, to an exploration of festering grievances, to a lengthy analysis of laughter, the show’s richness lies in the interplay between the bons amis (good friends).

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Worth noting: Preston plays Marc as the prototypical control freak, determined to force life — and his friends — to go his way. He is even intent on coaxing the audience into his corner, from the start forcefully pleading his case directly to theatergoers. Hughes, on the other hand, makes Serge the insecure, fledgling collector, desperate to be seen as a connoisseur. Then there’s Gosselin, who infuses his role with a full kit bag of emotions, and in the end serves as the referee between Serge and Marc.

Fun fact: The new year has dawned, which means that the Barnstable Comedy Club is officially in its 100th year — making it the oldest live community theater on the Cape, and one of the oldest in the country. It all began back in 1922, when theater enthusiast and innkeeper Joe Turpin proposed mounting a show (“Lady Windermere’s Fan”) in the old Village Hall. The first show debuted on April 1, 1922, and Barnstable Comedy Club was printed on the tickets.

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One more thing: Be sure to bring your masks and vaccination cards. You’ll need them to comply with the theater’s COVID-19 restrictions.

If you go: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14, 15, 21 and 22, plus 2:30 p.m. matinee Jan. 16 and 23 at Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Main St. (Route 6A), Barnstable. Tickets: $25, $23 seniors and students; 508-362-6333, www.barnstablecomedyclub.org.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: Cape Cod theater's comedic look at friendship is work of 'Art'