Dan and I attended the first of our "Wine Lovers Series" of plays at the Laguna Playhouse.  The wine tasting was fun, if done on a shoestring.  We nibbled on various cheeses and hors d'oeuvre while tasting chardonnay from New Zealand and Australia and a rather indistinguished cabernet better left forgotten.  We met a delightful couple, Frank and Darlene, while waiting for the performance to begin.  They've lived in the area (Laguna Hills) for 30 years.  We had a fun conversation about the Playhouse, mixing the perfect martini, and other pairings put on by the Playhouse.  We were disappointed to find out they're not regular "wine lovers" participants...but they do go to the matinee/luncheon pairings...so maybe next year.

The play we saw is called Art, a comedy about three male friends and their reactions to one of the trio purchasing a hugely expensive, extremely minimalist white on white painting.  Originally written in French by playwright Yasmina Reza, the play translates well to a modern American audience.

Alas, the audience was sparse for this mid-week performance, so there was a lack of some of the usual frisson that passes between audience and performers.  Some of this lack was perhaps due to the uneven performances of the actors.

Best of the trio was John Herzog in the scene-stealing role of Marc, the people-pleasing man in the middle of the debate over the painting's merits.  His mid-play monologue was wonderfully modulated between hysteria and angst and its dead pan reception by the other two actors was spot on.

The other two actors, Steve Vinovich as Serge (purchaser of the painting) and Kyle Colerider-Krugh as Yvan (who calls the painting "shit" upon first viewing) had moments of brilliance and pathos.  Unfortunately, they both also fumbled their lines on occasion.  Colerider-Krugh also seemed to struggle with fully inhabiting his character on a physical level.

Overall, a B plus, I'd say.  Dan's rating was a B for the play and a C for the wine tasting.

The play was still enjoyable, and I'd recommend it for the balance of its run, because of the themes explored using "Art" as a metaphor.  Male friendship, faith, honesty, trust, and ultimately our frail, momentary inhabitance of this planet are all touched on with humor, insight and grace.  

By the looks of last night's audience, tickets are still available now until the play closes on October 14th. 

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