James Corden has made a triumphant return to the stage in the Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza's play Art, now playing at the Music Box Theatre. The production, directed by Scott Ellis, features a starry cast including Bobby Cannavale and Neil Patrick Harris, but it is Corden who steals the show with a performance described as 'superb' and 'perfectly calibrated'.
The play, first staged in Paris in 1994, explores male friendship through the lens of a dispute over an all-white painting purchased by Serge (Harris) for $300,000. His friend Marc (Cannavale) sees nothing but folly in the purchase, while Yvan (Corden) attempts to mediate. The 90-minute, uninterrupted production is set in a single apartment, with David Rockwell's set evoking an antiseptic luxury Brooklyn high-rise.
Corden, returning to Broadway for the first time since winning a Tony in 2012 for One Man, Two Guvnors, delivers a standout performance as the heart and court jester of the show. One blistering monologue sees him ranting in the voice of three separate characters for several minutes without missing a beat, earning extended applause. The production is a study in how men avoid speaking emotions plainly, with Reza's script offering timeless insight into male passive aggression and avoidance.
While the play skirts the edge of wearisome, it is saved by three solid performances and the script's timeless insight. Corden's performance is particularly notable as a bit of stage image rehab post-Carpool Karaoke and other ventures. The revival is part of a broader trend on Broadway of casting well-known film and TV actors in limited-run plays, a commercially strong bet that has led to some grousing about ticket prices and a Hollywood invasion.
