During a lunch break in rehearsals for Yasmina Reza’s sharp comedy Art, Richard Roxburgh savors a steaming bowl of noodle and vegetable soup. He pauses, spoon in hand, to share thoughts on radically honest acquaintances. “I met a couple of people recently that I would describe as radically honest,” he says. “They were kind of fascinating. Real kooks but incredible minds. It was really interesting, but also very disturbing, because it’s so unusual.”
The Core Conflict
Roxburgh embodies Marc, one of three longtime friends whose bond strains over a minimalist white canvas. Alongside Damon Herriman as Serge and Toby Schmitz as Yvan, the trio navigates a feud ignited by taste. Directed by Lee Lewis and co-produced by Rodney Rigby, the 90-minute play opens at Sydney’s Roslyn Packer Theatre on February 10, with subsequent runs in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
Serge, a prosperous dermatologist, splurges six figures on Antrios’s artwork—a stark white painting accented by faint diagonal lines, discernible only when squinting. Marc, an aeronautical engineer, recoils at the sight, branding it “this shit” and decrying the lavish expenditure. Serge defends his acquisition as a modern masterpiece, sparking outrage. Yvan, poised to enter wholesale stationery via marriage, steps in as reluctant mediator.
Their clashing views on the canvas expose deeper rifts in ego, identity, and pettiness, fueling hilarious yet cutting exchanges.
Actors Reflect on Enduring Bonds
“The point of Marc telling Serge the painting is shit is about bringing things to a head,” Roxburgh explains. “It’s to say, ‘Unless we can get through this, the absolute that you have bought a piece of shit – and paid an astronomically stupid amount of money for it – we are in trouble as a friendship.’”
Herriman echoes the sentiment, drawing from real-life dynamics. “I think we’ve all got those long-term friends, where you go, ‘I didn’t sign up for this person,’” he notes. “And now I’m stuck with them. This is not what we had 15 to 20 years ago at all.” Serge resents Marc’s stagnation, while Marc bristles at Serge’s evolution into an art enthusiast. “20 years ago, Marc was cool because he was a contrarian,” Herriman adds. “He didn’t like anything. Serge was, ‘This guy’s so cool’. But now Serge is just, ‘Oh, come on. Really? Honestly, grow up, mate.’”
The banter mirrors the script’s wit. Herriman hunts for words like “curmudgeon” and “contrarian,” prompting Roxburgh’s playful interjections.
Yvan’s Hilarious Turmoil
Schmitz revels in Yvan’s chaotic monologue on wedding invitation woes involving fiancées and stepmothers. “I think it’s easy to say we’ve all got a friend like Yvan,” he observes. “Unless you are Yvan and then, well, you don’t have a friend like Yvan, you are him, and you probably don’t know you are.”
First captivated by the play nearly 30 years ago at age 19, Schmitz now treasures the role. “I thought, ‘Oh my god, I hope I’m still around when I’m eligible to play one of these middle-aged men roles,’” he recalls. “And then you get to my age, and you’re fortunate enough to do it.”
A Timeless Comedy with Edge
Debuting in 1994, Reza’s Art—crafted in weeks—claims accolades like the Moliere, Olivier, and Tony awards. Translated into over 30 languages, it blends comedy and tragedy. Reza once remarked after the Olivier win, “The category surprised me. I thought I had written a tragedy.”
Star-studded past casts include Bobby Cannavale, James Corden, and Neil Patrick Harris in 2025, alongside Rufus Sewell, Tim Key, and Paul Ritter in 2016/17, and Albert Finney, Ken Stott, and Tom Courtenay in 1996.
Roxburgh and Schmitz previously collaborated in Sydney Theatre Company’s The Present a decade ago. Schmitz stepped in for Yvan after a scheduling shift. “I find it very hard not to just be in hysterics or tears watching Damon and Richard,” he says. “So to be on stage with them is wonderful.”
Roxburgh eyes bringing his eight-year-old daughter. “She came to The Tempest [in 2022],” he shares. “She wouldn’t have understood that, but this, I think she’ll get some fun out of it. I mean, I’m not recommending it for eight-year-olds. But, it is hilarious.”
Production Dates
Art runs at Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney, February 10 to March 8; and Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, April 22 to May 3.
