Three Little Words (MTC) – theatre review

The contention is hardly conventional, but the vitriol and resultant humour crafted by one of Australia’s foremost playwrights, Joanna Murray-Smith (Switzerland), makes Three Little Words a most enjoyable, inflated slice-of-life reality piece.

Catherine McClements plays Tess, a book editor and Peter Haughton is Curtis, a teacher. They are a happily married couple (or so it seems) with a child who has one year left at school. In fact, they have just marked their 20th wedding anniversary. Tess and Curtis invite their best friends, gay couple Annie (Kate Atkinson) and Bonnie (Katherine Tonkin), over for dinner … and that is when Tess drops a bombshell. In spite of appearances, she and Curtis are splitting up – not due to any acrimony, mind you, merely because she wants to explore what else life may have to offer. For his part, Curtis seems strangely at peace with that decision … at least at first.

Annie and Bonnie are gobsmacked, greatly alarmed and express their outrage at the seemingly inane turn of events, which blindsided them. But what starts out as such bonhomie between Tess and Curtis was, of course, always destined to turn ugly – very ugly. He didn’t want the split, but has now taken up with a former student, less than half his age. And dividing the assets was never going to be straightforward, especially not when it came to her grandfather’s prized Tantalus – a small, secure wooden receptacle that holds three decanters – which her mother gifted to Curtis.

MTC Literary Director Chris Mead puts it well when he says Three Little Words scrutinises the nature of fidelity, the sacrifices we wear when we are committed to another and the chaos that results when a union is undone. Among the pithy and insightful verbiage, several scenes stand out, but arguably the most powerful is the one that is the most physical and draws gasps from the audience. It is a beauty – immediately entering the pantheon of showstoppers with its raw, primordial energy. Before this is over, the blowtorch has well and truly been applied to not only Tess and Curtis’ relationship, but also to the one between Annie and Bonnie.

All four performers have their times to shine and that they do, Murray-Smith and director Sarah Goodes’ egalitarian approach to the actors paying handsome dividends for us, the audience. The setting (the set and costume designer is Michael Hankin) reflects a significant portion of the inside of a home – from one scene to the next, a setback stage revolves repeatedly around a central pivot. The impact is immediate and impressive.

One hour 45 minutes without interval, MTC’s world premiere production of Three Little Words is a searing and acerbic comedy of manners that leaves an indelible impression, marking yet another triumph for Murray-Smith et al. It is on at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner until 27th May.

Alex First

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• Fury (Red Stitch) – theatre review
• Love (fortyfivedownstairs) – theatre review
• Marjorie Prime (Ensemble) – theatre review