There will be a new cast inArt at the Whitehall Theatre beginning May 27, when Ben Cross, Alex Ferns and Sanjeev Bhasker head the cast. The story concerns the change in the relationship among three friends when one of them purchases a work of modern art.

Ben Cross, formerly of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is perhaps best know for his starring role in the Oscar-winning film "Chariots of Fire."

Alex Ferns, best known as 'Trevor Morgan, a baddie from BBC 1 soap "Eastenders," has also appeared in "Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)," "With Friends Like These" and the film "The Ghost and the Darkness." Sanjeev Bhasker's TV credits include "Goodness Gracious Me" and "Small Potatoes," and he also starred in the Hollywood blockbuster "Notting Hill." He has also presented a three-part series for Channel 4 on the Kama Sutra, entitled "Position Impossible."

Art, by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, originally opened in London at Wyndham's Theatre on Oct. 15, 1996, starring Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Ken Stott. The play is directed by Matthew Warchus (re-directed by Rachel Kavanaugh) and won both the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy. The production transferred to the Whitehall Theatre in October 2001 and is currently booking to Jan. 4, 2003.

—By Paul Webb Theatrenow