A razor-sharp comedy about friendship, ego and the chaos a single opinion can cause, ART will commence performances at Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney from 10 February, before touring to Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
In a rare opportunity to see three of Australia’s finest actors on stage together, Richard Roxburgh (Rake, The Correspondent, Elvis), Damon Herriman (Better Man, Mr Inbetween, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Toby Schmitz (Boy Swallows Universe, Gaslight, Grief is the Thing with Feathers) star together in Yasmina Reza’s internationally award-winning play, translated by Christopher Hampton.
When one friend buys a ridiculously expensive painting, the others don’t just question his taste – they question everything. Egos flare, old wounds resurface, and a decades-long friendship begins to fracture.
Winner of both the Tony Award for Best Play and the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, ART explores – with biting wit and pitch-perfect timing – how the smallest things, especially the unspoken ones, can spiral into something much bigger.
ART is directed by Lee Lewis (the original production of Prima Facie, Gaslight, Mother Play), with set and costume design by Charles Davis (The Importance of Being Ernest, La Traviata), lighting design by Paul Jackson (Rusalka, The Spare Room), sound design by David Letch for System Sound, and is produced by Rodney Rigby with Marriner Group, Paul Wheelton AM, and State Theatre Company South Australia.
This 90-minute modern classic is brim full of intelligent laughs, standout performances, and sharp insight, and asks: can we truly see and still forgive the people we’ve known the longest? Because everyone’s a critic. Especially your friends.
“A very funny comedy of manners. It’s an impeccably tailored piece of work.” – New York Times (USA)
ART will commence performances at Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney from 10 February and will then tour to Brisbane’s QPAC from 11 March, Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from 22 April and Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre from 20 May 2026. For more information, visit: www.arttheplay.com.au for details.
Image: Toby Schmitz, Richard Roxburgh and Damon Herriman (supplied)