A brand-new production of Yasmina Reza’s fiendishly clever and hilariously funny play returns to the Midlands this month, stopping off at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 October.

The storyline is based around a seemingly simple purchase of contemporary art - an all-white painting - which ignites an hilarious debate amongst three close friends. What begins as a light-hearted discussion about art quickly descends into a riotous exploration of the blurred lines between art and reality.

The smash hit comedy features comedian Seann Walsh who recently made his acting debut as Malvolio in Twelfth Night: A Cornish Tale at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre. Chris Harper (Call The Midwife / Coronation Street) and Aden Gillett (The Crown / House of Elliot) also star.

Here Seann, Chris and Aden speak about their roles in the touring production...

SEANN WALSH PLAYS YVAN 

What is ART about?
It’s beautiful in its simplicity. When you boil it down, it’s about a piece of art that has been purchased by one of three friends, and that piece of art ends up testing the friendship. It’s really fun and reminds me of that feeling when you’ve had a tough day, and the smallest thing becomes the straw that ends up breaking the camel’s back.

Tell me more about your character, Yvan
He’s someone who is level-headed, in general, and mild-mannered. But he’s about to get married and has entered his fiancee’s family business, factors which are testing how stable he is as a person. The play catches him at this particularly vulnerable time in his life.

Do you find him relatable?
I can certainly relate to the way the pressure gets to him. And I definitely recognise the dynamics in his relationship with Marc and Serge. It feels very representative of male friendship, and the way that we adapt ourselves to fit whoever we’re talking to. There’s a great sense of energy in the script.

You recently made your stage acting debut in Twelfth Night. How was that experience?
I absolutely adored it. And I’m so happy I had that stage experience to take into ART. My favourite aspect of comedy has always been performing, but the great advantage of acting is that I can still get laughs without having to be myself, which is an absolute bonus!

Do you think comedy has been a good training ground for acting?
In some ways. When I was playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night there was a bit of breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience, so it was useful for that. But generally I don’t think there is too much crossover between stand up and acting. When you do a play, one of the first things you have to interpret is the writer’s words, and then connect with the other actors. As a comedian, you don’t have that process, though it does mean you’re comfortable in front of a crowd.

Are you enjoying working with producers Joshua Beaumont and Original Theatre who are marking their 20th anniversary this year?
They’re lovely to work with, and they’ve put together such a good team. Chris Harper and Aden Gillett are both really nice, experienced actors, and I’m loving working with Iqbal Khan, our director, who has a wonderful feel for comedy.

You co-host a podcast, Oh My Dog!, with Jack Dee. Seeing as he has previously been in ART, did he give you any tips?
I did contact him when I was first approached about it, and he said what a great experience he’d had, and how much he loved the play. But we didn’t talk too much about his interpretation of the character - he also played Yvan. I didn’t want to muddy the waters, I think it’s good to go in fresh. But having said that I do wish I’d seen his portrayal!

How did you get into comedy?
I was a classic attention seeker as a kid, and got into a lot of trouble at school. Jim Carrey was an early hero, and I always wanted to be a stand up. I feel very fortunate that I’ve ended up living that dream. You have to remind yourself sometimes that the boy who left school with one GCSE has done alright for himself.

Do you think it’s harder to get established in stand up now?
I just think it’s different. If I was starting out now I’d be learning to edit videos on my phone and use social media apps to build a following. I’ve got friends that weren’t getting too many opportunities who have now exploded thanks to social media. I sound like an old fart, but it’s a completely different world from when I started out, when it was all about doing gigs.

Are you aiming to do more acting in the future?
I certainly hope so. Doing Twelfth Night was amazing and I’m really excited for ART. But it’s not really up to me - I’ll go in whatever direction pays the bills!

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CHRIS HARPER PLAYS SERGE

How would you describe ART, in a nutshell?
It’s a brilliant and hilarious play by Yasmina Reza about three friends who discover they don’t see eye to eye in the way they assumed. They’re trying to get to grips with where they stand with each other, after all their shared beliefs have to be reexamined [when one of them pays a lot of money for an all-white painting]. So it becomes about working out how you stay friends with someone you realise is completely different to how you thought they were.

It premiered 30 years ago. Is it still as relevant today?
I first saw it when I was in my 20s, and roared with laughter, but now I’m in my 40s I realise I’ve got friends who voted Brexit, or don’t believe in vaccinations, or are into astrology. But that’s ok, because it’s going to have to be. We’ve been through a really divisive time recently and I think it’s a great moment to be re-examining this play and laughing at ourselves. It’s a play that brings people together, and I think everyone will recognise themselves in the characters.

You’ve done a lot of TV work recently, so are you excited to be coming back to the stage?
I can’t wait. I’m really looking forward to playing to a live audience again. When Tom [Hackney, producer] asked me about doing it, I read the script and just sat in a cafe giggling. Then he told me who else they were casting - Aden Gillett and Seann Walsh - and they sounded great. So in the end I just couldn’t say no.

Your character in Coronation Street, Nathan, was involved in some very heavy storylines. Is it nice to be doing something at the lighter end of the dramatic spectrum?
That’s a good way of putting it! And yes, it’s very true. The Corrie storyline [which involved child grooming] changed my life, and introduced me to some amazing people. When they told me Nathan was going to come out of prison, I rang round the charities I was involved with to check they were happy with me bringing the character back. But they said absolutely, because they needed the oxygen that the storyline had brought them. It was a very emotional moment.

What prompted you to become an actor in the first place?
I was very shy as a child, and then did some stupid things as a teenager. But I feel like a fell in with the right crowd at just the right time. They were all really into amateur dramatics, so I began acting. I won an award, which felt like a real pat on the back at a pretty dark time. I subsequently studied English and art and trained as a teacher, but then realised I was going to end up a very unhappy middle aged man, so thought I’d better go back to the acting.

Were your family supportive of your decision?
My mum was really excited when I started acting - she still talks about a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream I was in at drama school. I was lucky that there was no snobbery from my family, they were just really happy with whatever I was doing. So getting on telly was a massive bonus.

The fact you studied art is interesting given the subject of the play
I think the art world can be frustrating to people outside of it because it seems to be less about talent and more about who can talk the biggest talk. I used to come back from my degree and read Jilly Cooper novels and things like that, just to get myself out of that headspace. I took myself very seriously. One of my works was actually an all-white car seat, which is not that dissimilar to the painting in the play.

Does it help you to relate to your character, Serge?
I think Serge is also very serious about the world of art, only not as an artist but as a collector, using words like ‘deconstruction’. I get why he’s doing that, but I also understand why his friends call him out on it. That conversation is one I have regularly with my best friend, who’s a computer coder. He’s the loveliest man you’ll ever meet, but my God he can spot when I’ve climbed up my own behind! Like Serge, I definitely would be in to the white painting.

Do you think art was a good influence on your acting?
Yes and no. I think art is very cerebral, whereas as an actor you have to be much more in your body. So as much as you understand it, and think about the text, it’s also vital to be sharing the story physically – as the old adage goes, show don’t tell. My first step at drama school was to be taken out of my head and into my dance shoes.

You’ve worked with Original Theatre before. What makes them such a good company?
The founders, Tom and Alastair, are brilliant people, and I love them. I just think they’ve always had their hearts absolutely in the right place. Back in the day, even when they had no money at all, they always made sure they paid their team, even if it meant going without themselves. And they were so innovative during Covid doing digital productions, including Apollo 13: The Dark Side Of The Moon which I was in. I’m just delighted to see they’ve gone from strength to strength since. Their love for theatre is unparalleled.

You also teach alongside your acting – what advice do you give to aspiring actors?
Keep it in your body, and read lots. And develop a side hustle!

How do you unwind away from the stage?
I love reading, and at the end of the ART tour I’m going on holiday to a location that was recommended to me by someone on Call the Midwife. I’ve been assured it’s somewhere that my wife and I can sit on the beach and read, while the kids play in the sea. I just thought, ‘that sounds ideal’.

Are you looking forward to visiting Coventry?
I’ve heard that they do some very good jacket potatoes in Coventry, so I’m really looking forward to trying them for myself!

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ADEN GILLETT PLAYS MARC

How would you describe ART, for the uninitiated?
It’s a short, sharp shock! No great play should be too easily definable, but it’s essentially about three men who have been friends for a long time. The fault lines in their relationships are exposed by an all-white work of art that one of them has bought for a vast amount of money. My character thinks, to use his own word, that it’s shit.

Do you have some sympathy for his argument?
I actually quite like modern art. My daughter is an artist and I’m fascinated by it. However, I recently saw a sculptor who was selling a work that was a square of empty space. He said it was an installation and it was up to you to imagine what the artist was intending, and I think that’s on a par with the piece of art in the play. I found it puzzling, it’s fair to say.

Do you think your character, Marc, is more upset with the fact his friend Serge likes the work, rather than the work itself?
Yes, and that’s the catalyst for their argument. Marc says at one point he’s appalled that Serge could go ahead and buy the painting without asking him first. It suggests a power dynamic in which the pupil has dared to supplant the teacher. It’s really interesting.

What do you think makes the play so effective?
I think Yasmina Reza writes power dynamics very well. There’s something very Pinteresque about it. And Christopher Hampton has done a fantastic translation, which really emphasis the British humour and class aspects of the play.

ART is presented by Joshua Beaumont with Original Theatre.  You’ve worked with Original Theatre often before?
I’m very fond of Original. I go a long way back with them, and I really admire their enthusiasm for theatre. They manage to revivify the flagging, cynical part of me, which it’s easy to have after a long time in the business! They’re celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and it’s an incredible achievement to have got this far, without any Arts Council funding. I applaud them from the rafters.

Are you excited to be working with director Iqbal Khan?
Absolutely. I was playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the RSC a few years ago, and Iqbal’s production of Tartuffe was running in the Swan Theatre at the same time. So I went to watch it, and thought it was flipping brilliant. It’s not an easy play to get right, and I’m hard to please, so anyone who can come up with a production as good as that is clearly hugely talented.

How did you get into acting initially?
I studied English at University and was working in a bar afterwards, not really doing much, and a girlfriend sent off a drama school application for me. That’s how negligible my desire to be an actor was. And after having an audition, miraculously, I got in. So I thought ‘well I’d better try and take this seriously’. But I can’t honestly say it came from a huge desire to do it. My father was a judge and hoped I’d become a lawyer.

Well full credit to your girlfriend, as it clearly worked out
Absolutely. God bless you Alison, wherever you may be!

You’ve done a lot of stage work over the years. Would you describe theatre as your first love?
My first professional job was in theatre, at the Royal Exchange, and I’ve worked pretty consistently on stage ever since, with the odd break for filming. I wouldn’t say I particularly love it, it’s just what I’ve done. But having said that I’d much rather watch a play than a film. When theatre’s good, there’s nothing quite like it.

What are the roles you look back on most fondly?
I’m very proud of Noises Off at the National Theatre. Physically it was really tough – I remember dripping with sweat and feeling sick after every show. But those first few performances at the National were just magnificent. I wish I could have watched them myself! I also have very fond memories of doing Betrayal in Peter Hall’s first season at Bath. Harold Pinter wasn’t incandescent about it, so it must have been an absolute triumph.

Do you often get recognised?
People often mention The House of Elliot to me. But it was so long ago I’m not sure many people still recognise me! I also did a stint on Holby City about ten years ago. But I haven’t really done that much television or film – I think theatregoers often know me better for my stage work.

What advice would you give to aspiring actors?
I wouldn’t dream of giving anyone advice, but if they insisted I would wish them a huge amount of luck. It’s much harder now than when I was starting out, I think. It’s a really tough environment for young actors. My advice would be to start doing Marvel films, quick. And don’t come to me for advice!

ART shows at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 October