REVIEW: Basquiat, Warhol join together for a ‘Collaboration’ on Broadway
Photo: The Collaboration stars, from left, Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by BBB with permission.
NEW YORK — Anthony McCarten’s new play, The Collaboration, which is now playing an extended run at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway, finds Paul Bettany portraying famed modern artist Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pope portraying equally famous modern artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Although both artists have been gone for decades, their unique pieces of art continue to influence the art world, jamming people into museum exhibitions and commanding high prices at auction.
The production, which also stars Krysta Rodriguez and Erik Jensen, depicts the artistic and personal collaboration between Warhol and Basquiat — a collaboration in the play that takes a long time to get off the ground. Warhol, the older of the two, has become something of a cliche in the modern art world when the play opens, which is circa 1980s. He is perhaps the most famous living artist of his generation, but he hasn’t actually painted with a brush in decades. Instead, his main output are prints of pop culture symbols and smiling celebrities. Basquiat, on the other hand, is quickly becoming one of the most important artists on the scene, perhaps one day eclipsing Warhol (if he hasn’t already done so).
In order to pull even more artistry out of these two creatives, Bruno Bischofberger (Jensen), who exhibits their work, decides that they should collaborate. This is not exactly a match made in heaven. Warhol refuses to paint and becomes affixed on a General Motors logo for inspiration. Basquiat, heavily influenced by jazz when he creates, is like a hurricane before the canvas, letting the music and spontaneity of the moment direct his hand. At first, it doesn’t appear that the two have much in common or a means of finishing their collaboration, but eventually their built-up walls begin to crumble. They learn from each other, and they are driven to create by shared camaraderie, a devotion to thinking outside of the box, attraction and genuine friendship.
Bettany and Pope are expert interpreters of the two artists, and that’s in part thanks to director Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of The Young Vic in London, where The Collaboration began. His staging is intimate and powerfully resonant, and it’s obvious that he helped the actors find these characters’ true selves in the rehearsal room. The DJ sets by theoretic at the start of the play and during intermission are a nice addition, making the audience feel as if they are enjoying a 1980s happening.
Admittedly, it takes the audience at the Friedman Theatre some time to settle in for these two hours of drama. At first glance, it comes off as if the actors are “acting” their parts, essentially playing dress up and offering impersonations of these two iconic figures. But both Bettany and Pope fully embrace the challenge of their respective roles, transcend the impersonation and become real, vulnerable people on the stage.
Pope’s is perhaps the most mesmerizing of the two performances, only because Basquiat receives a solid arc throughout The Collaboration, reaching meteoric highs and devastating lows. His addiction to drugs hovers over the proceedings. Bettany’s Warhol, though, should also receive credit because his character changes a great deal throughout this artistic collaboration. He needs to step outside of his comfort zone — a comfort zone aided by tons of money and a nightlife that includes many famous friends — and get back to the basics of what made him offer his creativity to the world in the first place.
The setting for this play is New York City’s tucked-away art spaces, where the outside world can be shut away and the two can center their thoughts and address their second guesses. Once the drama kicks in, and the characters are fully explored, the impersonation vanishes, and a heartfelt human story takes over. By the end, it’s obvious that Basquiat and Warhol have many lessons to teach the audience and more art to create. The Collaboration serves as a fitting tribute to these giants of the art world.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywpodSoapbox.com
The Collaboration, starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, continues its extended run through Feb. 11 at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
