ONE of the most popular plays of the past three decades, Yasmina Reza’s Art comes to Poole Lighthouse from 29th to 31st August, and at Bath in a new 30th anniversary production at the start of the Theatre Royal’s autumn season, from Tuesday 3rd to Saturday 7th September. The play is directed by Iqbal Khan and stars comedian Seann Walsh and actors Chris Harper and Aden Gillett.

The French playwright’s comedy masterpiece is on a nine-week tour presented by Joshua Beaumont and Original Theatre. It is a brilliant, razor-sharp exploration of art and friendship and won countless awards, including Best Comedy at the Olivier, Tony and Molière Awards, and loyal audiences around the world.

A seemingly simple purchase of contemporary art – an all-white painting – ignites a debate among three close friends, Yvan, Serge and Marc. What begins as a light-hearted discussion about art quickly descends into a riotous and often fierce exploration of the blurred lines between art and reality.

Seann Walsh, who plays Yvan, is one of the UK’s funniest stand-up comedians, described by The Guardian as “the best observational comedian of his generation”. His lengthy CV includes sell-out tours and appearances on Live At The Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Stand Up Sketch Show and The Last Leg. Earlier this year, he played Malvolio in Twelfth Night for Stafford Shakespeare.

Chris Harper, who plays Serge, is known for television roles including in Call The Midwife, Coronation Street, Endeavour, The Suspicions of Mr Whitcher and Upstairs Downstairs. His theatre credits include the UK tour of Strangers on a Train, Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Persuasion, After Miss Julie and People at Sea at Salisbury Playhouse.

Aden Gillett, who plays Marc, has had many television roles including The House of Eliott, Holby City, The Crown, Van der Valk, Vera, Silent Witness and Ivanhoe. His extensive theatre credits include Dominic Dromgoole’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe; An Inspector Calls on Broadway and productions for The Peter Hall Company at the Theatre Royal Bath.

Art had its world premiere in Paris in 1994, before taking the West End and then Broadway by storm with the English language production translated by renowned playwright Christopher Hampton. Yasmina Reza’s stage plays also include Life x3, God of Carnage and Conversations After A Burial, all of which have previously been seen at Theatre Royal Bath.

Photograph by Michael Wharley