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"BEST THEATER PRODUCTION OF 2025" -The Daily Tribune

Against the backdrop of Paris’s Bourse de Commerce—a former commodities exchange transformed into a contemporary art museum—the production recontextualized Reza’s friendship drama within a world where art, commerce, taste, and cultural capital intersect. The disputed white painting became a catalyst for competing ideas of value—artistic, financial, and personal—and for what those judgments reveal about identity, status, and friendship. The Bourse provided a visual and dramaturgical frame for the production, allowing the transactional dynamics already embedded in Reza’s text to resonate within the shifting exchanges among the three men. This production featured original music by award-winning composer Fabian Obispo.

"How Victor Lirio is redefining 'Art' for a new era ... In Repertory Philippines' bold new staging of Art, director Victor Lirio peels back the polished layers of wit to reveal something raw, personal, and unexpectedly tender."
- Paolo Chua, L'OFFICIEL

"With nuanced performances and deft direction, Art impresses with insight and sophistication."
- David Nigel Co, HELLOMNL.COM

"There is a genius in three-hander plays, when done this neatly." 
- Scott Garceau, Philippine Star

"Hilarious, tender, and profound.

“Victor Lirio’s direction is lean and precise, perfectly capturing the text’s verbal choreography. The minimalist set, controlled lighting design and music heighten the characters’ interiority, while the absence of an intermission maintains narrative momentum and dramatic pressure.

"It’s a must-see.” 
- Stephanie Mayo, THE DAILY TRIBUNE

"Lirio mines wonders within the constrained context of the play."
- Lé Baltar, PhilStar

"Under Victor Lirio's direction, the eloquence of the script coupled with the rhythm of the delivery made the comedy take flight." 
- Jeeves De Veyra, ABS-CBN

"Under the direction of Lirio, Art transcended the boundaries of comedy, with its philosophical and dramatic tones being amplified.

"... Lirio invited the audience to ponder the value of not just art but friendship, weaving the complexities of relationships with contemporary views on art.

"Through Lirio’s direction and the moving collaboration with The Hope Project, Repertory Philippines transcended the purpose of performance. The stage became a space for reflection; on friendship, on pride and one’s capacity to find meaning where others might not." 
- Bettina Katryn Reyes, THE FLAME

"Once the actors step on stage, it’s clear that director Victor Lirio’s intent is focused on harnessing his actors’ abilities to bring truth and life to the text. Moving from one scene to the next, he keeps the repartee sharp and tight. He strikes a balance between push and pull, as they jump from intensely quiet conversations to explosive emotional outbursts.

"This allows for the script’s wit and humor to stand out without sacrificing the innate gravitas of the writing.

"This is a must-see!"
- Elizabeth S. Timbol, THE POST