The Collaboration – The Young Vic, London (LAST CHANCE TO SEE)

A review of The Collaboration at the Young Vic. A play which conjures up a key moment in the 1980s New York art scene and ponders questions about art and its commodification.

The Collaboration

Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of my favourite artists. I love the urgency of his works, the way the art leaked out of him so he was painting not just canvases but fridges and radiators – anything he could get his hands on. I love the complexity of their layer and references. And Basquiat’s collaboration with Andy Warhol in the early 1980s is such an iconic moment. So I would have been interested anyway to see Paul Bettany’s first stage role in a long time. And to see Kwame Kwei-Armah direct. But the trifecta meant that I was definitely booking myself a ticket.

And The Collaboration does not disappoint. This new play by Anthony McCarten charts the relationship between the two artists, from early mediation by their art dealer Bruno Bischofberger (Alec Newman) to the end of their partnership (and a couple of years before the end we all know is coming). Francesco Clemente, who has largely been written out of history as an early third partner in the collaboration, is also written out here.

The interest, both in the art and in the story, comes from the juxtaposition of Warhol and Basquiat. One a young star trying to cement his reputation, the other’s star on the wane. One controlled and removed, both in life and in art, the other a poster boy for Neo-Expressionism. Each pushing each other in a call and response, tit for tat painting style that saw effacements and overpainting build up into something much greater than the some of the parts.

McCarten has form for writing these types of works. A historic moment behind closed doors, the gaps imaginatively and insightfully filled. See The Two Popes for instance, a film adapted by McCarten from his own play about a meeting in the aftermath of the Vatican Leaks scandal. Is this latest work successful? Let’s take a closer look.

Warhol and Basquiat, Basquiat and Warhol

So as I said, The Collaboration begins with Bruno Bischofberger convincing both Warhol and Basquiat to give an artistic partnership a try. Each of them is suspicious. And the play clearly defines how each knew exactly what he was leveraging from the collaboration for their own purposes. For Basquiat, it was a shorthand for legitimacy and art world status. For Warhol it was a chance to inject some fresh, young energy into his practice and prevent his star from slipping further. Each bringing something to the table. And therefore each with their own agency and reason for wanting to make it work.

In the beginning it’s difficult. Warhol hasn’t painted in twenty years. He prefers the mechanised process of silk-screening. And besides, he’s got people to do his preparatory drawings and so on. He needs coaxing to cross that threshold, it’s almost a first step towards vulnerability. Basquiat, meanwhile, is dying to get started, trying to force an energy that so far is lacking.

After the interval we jump ahead. They are now near the end of their collaboration. The two men are comfortable together. Or as comfortable as you can be when Andy Warhol is in the mix. But some of those original tensions are there, as well as new ones. They debate the meaning of art. Reveal their own paths to becoming artists. There’s a very raw moment where Warhol talks about his persona, how it keeps the world at arm’s length, protects little Andrew Warhola from Pittsburgh from potential rejection. There’s also Basquiat’s increasingly serious drug problem. And Basquiat confronting Warhol on his internalised racism.

As a play, I found it really worked well. Maybe it’s just my own background, but the angle that I found the most interesting was the notion of what it takes to become an artist. And what the art market demands from individuals in order to become ‘successful’. Seeing on stage the toll this took on both Warhol and Basquiat in different ways, it’s confronting. And let’s not forget the 1980s were only the beginning of the commodification of art. Boom, for real.

The Collaboration As Artistic Collaboration

As a production, I also found The Collaboration a success. From the outset, with a live DJ/VJ (mini) set by Xana, the theatre is infused with real energy and firmly set in 1980s New York. Also very evocative is the set by Anna Fleischle. Moving panels form different New York loft spaces, and leave room for projections by Duncan McLean. It sort of verges on experience rather than pure theatre. There were even SAMO tags painted around the walls. And the audience was loving it. I don’t think I’ve seen spontaneous dancing during an interval before.

But what set it apart for me were the two lead performances. You might not think of Paul Bettany immediately when casting Andy Warhol. You can’t be in the Marvel universe and maintain the artist’s very slight physique, for instance. But you soon forget this physical aspect. Bettany is so spot on in his portrayal of Warhol’s mannerisms and speech – the dry and cutting wit behind the all-American exclamations “Gee” and “Oh, wow!”. And let’s not forget, the last time I was at the Young Vic there was also a good portrayal of Andy Warhol, that time by Tom Godwin in Best of Enemies. But that was Andy Warhol in society, playing up to the famous and powerful. This is Andy Warhol outside his comfort zone, seeking validation and baring his soul.

As Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeremy Pope is an excellent foil. He is all coiled energy, blustering confidence overlaying a fragile inner self weighed down by the cares of the world. The arc of his character is fully fleshed out, from new arrival claiming his space to a successful artist, off the rails and with a fridge full of cash. It’s a meaty role for Pope to have sunk his teeth into in his London stage debut. If I have one criticism of the play it’s that the sole female role, Basquiat’s girlfriend (or one of them) Maya, isn’t nearly as substantial. But Sofia Barclay makes the most of it.

There are a couple of weeks left in the run. Go and see it if you can, although apparently you will have another chance in a film incarnation.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

The Collaboration on until 2 April 2022