It's Serge's purchase of an all-white painting for a princely sum that sets these guys off. But in this production it's the characters themselves who are armed to explode. Carleton's sleek Serge radiates self-importance, as if he has read one too many glossy magazines and believes every word, yet when Serge finds his friendships threatened, his hurt and perplexity are there for all to see. Hissom mines every bit of the long, choleric monologue that brings Art to a giddy high. This Marc is transparent, looking at the painting with disbelief, and he can't keep the impatience from his face or the sarcasm from his voice.
Art is sly that way.
You take to its externals, to its laughter, and then you find yourself mulling over something much deeper - the nature of friendship, say, and how it can fade. In fact, watching this play is like making a friend. A man has bought a painting, a work of art. It appears to be a white canvas covered with some diagonal white lines and, perhaps, a few hints of color. The man is very proud of his new acquisition.