One of the most thought-provoking modern plays to grace the main stage at Theatre Royal Bath has been chosen to kick-start its autumn season.

Yasmina Reza's award-winning smash hit, ART tours to Bath to Saturday, September 7 and was marked on Tuesday’s opening night by a medical emergency in the dress circle.

The comedy masterpiece was interrupted as staff attended to an audience member who had fainted in the upper tier and the actors briefly left the stage during the incident.

The three actors, Seann Walsh, Chris Harper and Aden Gillett professionally resumed the play from where they had left off to a deserved round of applause.

Director Iqbal Khan’s new production is visiting Bath as part of a nine-week tour presented by Joshua Beaumont and Original Theatre.

The play has toured to the Theatre Royal four times previously in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2018, although I’ve never seen it before.

Chris Harper as Serge, Seann Walsh as Yvan, Aden Gillett as Marc in ART at Bath's Theatre Royal.Chris Harper as Serge, Seann Walsh as Yvan, Aden Gillett as Marc in ART at Bath's Theatre Royal. (Image: Geraint Lewis)

The plot revolves around the seemingly simple purchase of contemporary art - an all-white painting – by Serge, played by Chris Harper.

The acquisition provokes a fierce reaction from his best friend Marc, played by Aden Gillett, and ignites a debate among the three close friends.

What begins as a light-hearted discussion about contemporary art quickly descends into a riotous exploration of the blurred lines between art and reality.

At its core, ART is a razor-sharp and thought-provoking exploration of art, love and friendship that will stay with audiences long after the curtain falls.

There’s excellent performances from all three actors, and I particularly enjoyed the comic timing of Seann Walsh as Yvan, who also dealt expertly, if somewhat crudely, with a member of the audience whose mobile phone rang.

Nothing short of a phenomenon, Yasmina Reza's fiendishly clever and funny play has been translated into English by Christopher Hampton and went on to become the most successful play in Broadway history.

The play's track record of major awards success speaks for itself and this latest production is well worth a visit. Judging by Tuesday evening's audience attendance it's not sold out so you've still time to buy a ticket.

The creative team for this new production is led by director Iqbal Khan, an Associate Director of Birmingham Rep, an Associate Artist of Box Clever Theatre Company, and the Artistic Director of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.

To book tickets call the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit, theatreroyal.org.uk.