Repertory Philippines to stage Yasmina Reza’s Tony & Olivier award-winning comedy “ART”, West End’s Victor Lirio directs
Repertory Philippines (“REP”) is set to stage this month its 88th season offering of Yasmina Reza’s Olivier & Tony Award winning comedy, ART, with a translation by Christopher Hampton and directed by Victor Lirio. Preview performances are scheduled for June 11th and 12th at 8 p.m. and opening night on Friday, June 13th at 7:30 p.m. Regular performance schedule runs Friday to Saturday at 8 p.m. with matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. through June 29, 2025. All performances will be at REP’s recently inaugurated Eastwood Theatre in Quezon City.
REP’s production of ART will be comprised of New York, London, and Manila-based creatives. The international cast features London-based Filipino-British actor Martin Sarreal, who appeared in Season 3 of the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton; Manila’s very own Brian Sy, who was recently seen in Sandbox’s Tiny Beautiful Things and is currently in The Cast’s Othello as Cassio; and British stage, film, and television actor Freddy Sawyer, a Bristol Old Vic alum and who appeared in Apple TV’s hit series, Trying.
Directed by Victor Lirio, ART’s creative and production teams include Miguel Urbino (scenic and costume design), Miriam Crowe (lighting design), Fabian Obispo (original music and sound design), Maisie Carter (fight director), Zoe Littleton (voice coach), Uriel Villar (assistant director), Julia Pacificador (associate scenic designer), Patricia Gregorio (production manager), and Jayvee Carreon (production stage manager).
Written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and translated by British playwright Christopher Hampton, the comedy raises questions about art and friendship and concerns three long-time friends—Serge (Sarreal), Marc (Sawyer), and Yvan (Sy). Serge, indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive, completely white painting. Marc is horrified, and their relationship suffers considerable strain as a result of their differing opinions about what constitutes "art." Yvan, caught in the middle of the conflict, tries to please and mollify both of them.
What critics wrote:
“Anyone looking for a play that is funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving should go to 'ART.’” — The Independent (UK)
“… wildly funny, naughtily provocative …” — New York Post
“Reza and Hampton have an acute ear for the idiocies, trivia and petty assaults that pepper the conversation between friends … The real pleasures come from Reza’s creation of three beautifully defined, original characters …” — Mail on Sunday (London)
Lirio directed REP’s critically acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal last season, recipient of several Gawad Buhay citations including Outstanding Production and Direction; the London premiere of Adam Rapp’s Pulitzer Prize nominated Red Light Winter; and in Bristol, UK, the double bill production of Edward Allan Baker’s North of Providence and Dolores, and Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain. In New York, he directed Cassandra Medley’s award-winning Noon Day Sun (starring Emmy Award winner Ron Cephas Jones, Time Out New York Critic’s Choice); Warren Bodow’s Race Music (New York Times Critic’s Pick); and Medley’s plays, Coming Up for Air (starring Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins) and Cell (starring Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad). Trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as a classical actor with a Master’s degree in Drama Directing from the Bristol Old Vic, Victor was Resident Director on Dr Semmelweis by Stephen Brown at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End starring Oscar winner Mark Rylance.
British-Filipino actor Martin Sarreal appeared in the world premiere of the Elton John and Jake Shears musical, Tammy Faye, at the Almeida Theatre in London. Since graduating from Drama Centre London, he has gone on to star in numerous productions across stage, TV and film. Theatre credits include the Evening Standard Award winning and Olivier nominated London production of Here Lies Love (Royal National Theatre), Forty Years On (Chichester Festival Theatre), Read Not Dead: The Duke of Milan (Shakespeare’s Globe), Corrina Corrina (Headlong Theatre/Everyman Liverpool). Martin can currently be seen as Lord Barnell in Season 3 of Bridgerton on Netflix.
Award-winning Manila-based actor Brian Sy is the recipient of the Gawad Buhay Award for his portrayal of Aufidius in Tanghalang Pilipino's Coriolano, for which he also garnered an Aliw Award nomination for Best Featured Actor. He recently appeared in Nia Vardalos' adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things (The Sandbox Collective, 2024), and as Maximo in Pat Valera's Mula sa Buwan (Barefoot Theatre Collaborative, 2024). His recent notable works for the stage include: M in Duncan Mcmillan's Lungs, Kooriyama Tatsuya in Suzue Toshiro's If He Doesn't See Your Face, Ronildo 'Ka Roy' Ibanag in Guelan Luarca's theatrical adaptation of Lualhati Bautista's novel entitled Desaparesidos, Ferdinand in PETA's adaptation of The Tempest Reimagined, Edmund in both the English and Filipino versions of Dulaang UP's King Lear/Haring Lear (dir. by Tony Mabesa, 2015). Brian has performed in international theatre festivals in Spain, Taiwan, Malaysia, Belarus, Vietnam, and China. He is currently appearing in The Cast’s Othello by William Shakespeare as Cassius.
British actor Freddy Sawyer trained at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School after graduating from Cambridge University. He played Davis in the London premiere of Adam Rapp’s Pulitzer Prize nominated play, Red Light Winter (dir. by Victor Lirio) at the Turbine Theatre. He has toured theatre abroad in both Japan and Turkey, and has performed three times at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His theatre credits include Newman Noggs in Nicholas Nickleby (Bristol Old Vic); Hakan in Let The Right One In (Circomedia); Egeon in The Comedy of Errors (Underbelly Bristo Square); Elliot in Mercury Fur (Corpus Playroom); Achates in Dido, Queen of Carthage (Senate House). He appeared in the second season of Trying (Apple TV) and in the BBC drama, Life After Life. Freddy co-wrote the award winning short film, Twenty, an official selection at several film festivals winning the Best Narrative Short Film at the Dallas International Film Festival.
For more information, visit www.repertoryphilippines.ph