“Art” Comedy, Premiere at National Theatre

TIRANA, Feb. 23 – The National Theatre will stage this weekend the premiere of Art comedy, written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and directed by Albania’s Fatos Haxhiraj. The comedy, scheduled to be premiered on Friday, Feb. 25 will bring on stage Albanian renowned actors Artan Imami and Bujar Asqeriu as well as Kosovo experienced actor Enver Petrovci.
The comedy, a production of the “Alba Trade Plus” will also be performed on Feb. 26 and 27.
Art concerns the cataclysmic effect on three friends, Serge, Marc, and Yvan, when Serge purchases an expensive work of abstract artء large painting consisting of white lines on a white canvas. As the three men engage in an ongoing debate over the value of the painting, emotions run high and the conflict escalates to the point of nearly destroying a long-standing friendship.
French playwright Yasmina Reza garnered international acclaim with her play Art (1994), for which she received the 1998 Lawrence Olivier Award for best comedy and the 1998 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for best play, as well as Moli鳥 awards for best author, best play, and best production.
The National Theatre will stage three international premieres during the new January-July season this year. The first premiere to be performed on the stage of the National Theatre in Tirana is Amadeus, a drama by Peter Shaffer directed by Albania’s Altin Basha scheduled to be staged on February 24. The second premiere at the National Theatre will be Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” scheduled for April 2011. In writing The Crucible, US playwright Miller went to the source of the Salem Witch Hunts by reading the recorded transcripts of the trials. The third and final premiere expected to be staged at the National Theatre this season is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The famous love story and tragedy, directed by Italy’s Carlo Bruni, comes as a co-production with the Italian Institute of Culture in Tirana. It is expected to have its premiere by the end of next May.
The National Theatre says it is also negotiating with the British Council in Tirana to bring a British director to stage another masterpiece by Shakespeare for the second theatrical season.