When you like the play but...

The Collaboration By Anthony McCarten, Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, with Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope, Krysta Rodriguez, and Erik Jensen.

Set in the summer of 1984 takes you through the collaboration between two powerhouses - Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat for their exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in 1985.

However, if you're an art historian or know an art historian, don't go for historical accuracy. Just experience the play for its interesting caricatures and good acting of Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope! 

While the play makes it seem like these two art world megastars navigated around each other as distant acquaintances and brought together by their mutual friend Bruno Bischofberger. They have a well known history of "knowing" each other. Basquiat was a subject of a 1982 artwork in Warhol's oxidation series. The image used for that painting is a transfer from a Polaroid taken the same year. 

The play begins as if they were strangers, not running in the same circles, not knowing the same people (except Bruno), which is not completely factual. However, Bettany's representation of Warhol's mannerisms and look are almost spot on. Pope's performance is impressive as well. Jenson as Bruno is a welcomed intermediary character that I felt could've had more of a role in providing accurate context. Rodriguez's character of Maya, who I assume is meant to represent Basquiat's on and off girlfriend at the time Suzanne, provides a good performance. However, her role mainly serves as a mode to deliver the message of a friend's murder by the NYPD in 1983 (not chronologically in line with play), and to again for some reason remind us of Basquiat's sexual dalliances (as if it was needed).

With all of the available first-person sources surrounding the Warhol Basquiat collaboration, such as video interviews, written interviews, and photos, I wondered why take artistic liberties with things that are easy to make accurate. We don't know what was said every moment they were together and that would provide more than enough room for any artistic liberties one could need. 

There's an antagonist aura around that sometimes seeps from Warhol, at times. Providing these uncomfortable digs at Basquiat. When it is documented, that Warhol was an ally and a fan. Especially, regarding the scenes that focus around the murder of Michael Stweart in 1983. There's a conflict that didn't seem like it would have happened given that Warhol expressed deep empathy regarding that tragedy and created artworks in remembrance.

Basquiat is kind of represented, by no fault of Pope, like he doesn't know how to handle his success. Yes, Basquiat didn't trust banks and did drugs but if we learned anything from the King Pleasure exhibition, he was so much more than that. Any interview you see of Basquiat during this collaboration shows a young black man, who spoke 3-4 languages, who was professional, well spoken, aware of the art market, his importance, the importance of Warhol and his role with the historical context of art history. 

The Collaboration should say it is a play inspired by the collaboration between Warhol and Basquiat from 1984-1985, that culminated in an exhibition of 16 artworks shown at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in 1985. This play takes place during the summer of 1984 and is Kwame Kwei-Armah interpretation of the possible intimate moments between two of the art world's biggest and brightest stars.