The Collaboration London Reviews and Tickets

84%

(5 Reviews)

Positive

80%

Mixed

20%

Negative

Members say

Thought-provoking, Clever, Absorbing, Riveting, Great acting

About the Show

Paul Bettany & Jeremy Pope star in this new play about Andy Warhol & Jean-Michel Basquiat's infamous exhibition.

It's 1984 in New York City and Andy Warhol’s star is falling. The wonderkind of the modern art scene, Jean-Michel Basquiat, agrees to collaborate with Warhol on a new exhibition, which soon becomes the talk of the city. The two artists embark on an artistic and personal journey that redefines both of their worlds.

Anthony McCarten’s new drama is directed by Young Vic Artistic Director, Kwame Kwei-Armah.

Member Reviews (5)

Fluffy, Disappointing, Banal

See it if You know nothing of art.

Don't see it if You know ANYTHING about 20th Century art, and you think that Warhol literally killed art..like totally... like.. he killed it.

100

Masterful, Must see, Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Clever

See it if Great direction, mesmerising performances and a DJ set that was awesome! Saw it twice and enjoyed both times.

Don't see it if You don't want to!

Emotional, Gripping, Riveting, Profound, Great acting

See it if If you enjoy great acting, a gripping story and fascinating insight into art and culture through the eyes of two very different artists

Don't see it if If you don't like dialogue-heavy and occasionally challenging drama.

Riveting, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Great acting, Delightful

See it if you like seeing two actors with incredible chemistry, and interval DJ sets!

Don't see it if if you don't like loud music and intense lights

Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Great staging, Clever, Absorbing

See it if You love art and recognise the resonance between 1980s New York and today's London. You want to grapple with race, identity and image.

Don't see it if You are not willing to think along with the characters. You want action, lullabies and simple answers.

Critic Reviews (7)

It is, as I say, terrific entertainment. But there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s wildly contrived...It is fanfic, even at one point bordering on slash fiction, and pretty difficult to take entirely seriously.
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It’s refreshing to eavesdrop on the notoriously understated icon in relatively garrulous private mode...the casual detail and commitment of the central performances keeps you watching.
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[Anthony] cleverly weaves his arguments about the nature of art, the origin of inspiration and the corruption of the art world into a story that hangs roughly on the lineaments of the two men's lives.
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An ebullient production under Kwame Kwei-Armah’s direction (there is even a live DJ though, oddly, the music is only cranked up in between scenes), it has two star turns in the central performances and a spectacular set from Anna Fleischle...
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For a play about mould-breakers, it’s structurally and dramatically formulaic, but McCarten has a real knack for humanising icons – for digging beneath the image to reveal the flaws, the contradictions and emotional complexity.
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The dialogue between an aphoristic Warhol and a sullen Basquiat takes ages to spark. After a gluey first half it finally does so in response to an off-stage calamity.
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