THE COLLABORATION
YOUNG VIC | 28 FEBRUARY – 2 APRIL 2022
PAINTERS ARE LIKE BOXERS, BOTH SMEAR THEIR BLOOD ON THE CANVAS.
New York, 1984. Fifty-six-year-old Andy Warhol’s star is falling. Jean-Michel Basquiat is the new wonder-kid taking the art world by storm. When Basquiat agrees to collaborate with Warhol on a new exhibition, it soon becomes the talk of the city.
As everyone awaits the ‘greatest exhibition in the history of modern art’, the two artists embark on a shared journey, both artistic and deeply personal, that re-draws both their worlds.
Paul Bettany (The Avengers, Wandavision) is the iconic Warhol and Jeremy Pope (Hollywood, Choir Boy, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations) plays the magnetic Basquiat in the world premiere of Anthony McCarten’s thrilling new drama, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
★★★★ ‘An exercise in giving the audience what they want… Fantastically enjoyable’
The Independent
★★★★ ‘A perfect pairing of pop art legend and street art sensation’
Daily Mail
★★★★ ‘A brush with greatness… Pope is captivating’
Observer
‘Bettany is a marvel in his first stage role in several decades’
New York Times
Writer Anthony McCarten
Director Kwame Kwei-Armah
Designer Anna Fleischle
Lighting Designer Mark Henderson
Sound Designer Emma Laxton
Video Designer Duncan McLean
Composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Casting Director Isabella Odoffin CDG
DJ/VJ Xan