YASMINA REZA’S most celebrated contemporary comedy, Art, comes to the Baxter Flipside for a limited season, from 1 to 12 September 2026, at 7.30pm with Saturday matinees at 3pm.
This internationally acclaimed theatre hit comedy, translated into English by Christopher Hampton, follows the success of the Afrikaans adaptation, Kuns, which made its debut at the KKNK (Klein Karoo National Arts Festival) in 2025. Widespread acclaim followed the production, continuing its success at the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees later that year.
The English South African production is directed and designed by Marthinus Basson, one of South Africa’s most acclaimed theatre-makers and features award-winning performances by Wilhelm van der Walt, Wessel Pretorius and Ludwig Binge. Critics cited the chemistry between the acting trio as one of the production’s greatest strengths.
Written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and translated by Academy Award-winning writer Christopher Hampton, Art remains one of the most successful contemporary comedies. At its heart is a deceptively simple premise: Serge buys an expensive artwork, consisting entirely of white lines on a white canvas. His friend Marc is appalled. Their mutual friend Yvan is caught in the middle. What begins as a disagreement about art, soon unravels into a hilarious, razor-sharp examination of friendship, loyalty, identity, taste and the fragile bonds that hold relationships together. Original international productions of the play received Tony and Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Play, while the French premiere received the Molière Award for Best Commercial Production.
The upcoming season at The Baxter presents an exciting opportunity for audiences to encounter Reza’s masterpiece in Hampton’s renowned English translation, while experiencing the same award-winning creative vision that made the Afrikaans production one of South Africa’s theatrical highlights of 2025.
“Art, by Yasmina Reza, is as close to a perfect play as one can hope for,” says Basson.
He continues “The play’s refined, almost musical structure and crisp, witty dialogue belie a deep analysis of friendship, the limits of loyalty and the glue that binds three very different people — friends for 15 years — in a titanic battle over their personal taste and preference in art. All due to the acquisition of a painting.”
Tickets are available through Webtickets online or at Pick n Pay stores.
