The Collaboration

 B+

Paul Bettany (An Inspector Calls, “A Very British Scandal”) and Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy, Ain’t Too Proud) are giving two remarkable performances as Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, respectively, in Anthony McCarten’s (The Two Popes, A Beautiful Noise) biodrama about the two-year period in the mid-80’s during which these two artists, badgered by their dealer Bruno Bischofberger (Erik Jensen; Disgraced, Corpus Christi), worked together on a series of joint paintings for a keenly anticipated show. Warhol was already late in his career with declining interest in and prices for his works; Basquiat was the hot new discovery whose career was still in its early stages. The two men had diametrically opposed views of the role of art, but overcame their initial mutual antipathy to actually become friends. Basquiat was able to get Warhol to pick up a brush for the first time in 25 years. The first act describes the beginnings of their joint endeavor. The second act picks up two years later a few weeks before their joint show is due to open. For this play you want to stay in your seat at intermission, because black-and-white films of the two doing things together such as working out are projected on large screens on either side of the stage. I thought these projections were an integral part of the play that added significantly to the experience. Things get a bit melodramatic in the second act when we learn about Basquiat’s relationship with his girlfriend Maya (Krysta Rodriguez; First Date, In the Heights) and the police brutality incident that his close friend and fellow artist Michael Stewart endured. Unfortunately, the play breaks off before their show opens so we do not get the story of the critical reaction to the show and its effect on their friendship. The supporting actors create vivid characters. The set and costumes by Anna Fleischle (Hangmen) are evocative. The wig design by Karicean “Karen” Dick and Carol Robinson is a show all by itself. The direction by Kwame Kwei-Armah (artistic director, The Young Vic) is unfussy, although I did not see the point of having a DJ at the side of the stage before the play began and at intermission.  While the script at times seems uneven and incomplete, the performances by Bettany and Pope are reason enough to see the play. If you can't get there now, wait for the film version that is in the works. Running time: two hours 15 minutes including intermission.

 

NOTE: Dress warmly. Owing to the Samuel G. Friedman Theatre’s lack of a proper lobby to separate the auditorium from the street, the temperature in the theater drops precipitously before the show begins.

Disgraced ****

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Ayad Akhtar is having a banner year -- his first novel, American Dervish, was well-received last winter and this play, his first, has arrived at LCT3's Claire Tow Theater after making big waves in Chicago. It is easy to see why. In 90 tightly-plotted minutes, the playwright raises serious issues about life in contemporary America that, because they are painful, are usually ignored. The protagonist is Amir (Aasif Mandvi), a self-hating first-generation Pakistani-American, who has broken his ties with Islam. His blonde all-American wife Emily (Heidi Armbruster) is a painter who has found her inspiration in Islamic art. Isaac (Erik Jensen) is a Jewish gallery owner who is considering including Emily's work in an upcoming show. His African-American wife Jory (Karen Pittman) and Amir are both associates in the same New York law firm. Amir has a young nephew Abe (Omar Maskati) who has changed his name from Hussein; although largely assimilated, he is still a devout Muslim. When Emily and Abe bully Amir into attending a court hearing for an imam who has been accused of raising money for terrorists, things do not turn out well. At a dinner party for the two couples, prickly conversation escalates into verbal warfare and the evening ends disastrously. A final scene set several months later gives further insight into living as a Muslim-American, but does not provide a strong ending. The cast is quite good except for Mandvi, whose portrayal of Amir would profit from greater nuance and less stridency. Kimberly Senior's direction keeps things from lagging. Lauren Helpern's lovely set of a spacious Upper East Side apartment with modernist furnishings and a terrace will inspire real estate envy in most Manhattanites. Dane Laffrey's costumes are fine too. The powerful dinner party scene will probably stick in my memory longer than I would like. Tickets are only $20.