Currently playing at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre, ART, Yasmina Reza’s razor-edged comedy, proves why it has lost none of its sting, since its Paris premiere in 1994. In Christopher Hampton’s translation and under the finely calibrated direction of Lee Lewis, this production is as sleek and precise as the controversial painting at its centre.
The premise is deceptively slight: Serge has purchased an eye-wateringly expensive, almost entirely white canvas. His friend Marc is appalled. Yvan, caught in the middle, attempts diplomacy. What unfolds over a brisk 90 minutes is a masterclass in comic escalation, and an autopsy of friendship conducted with surgical wit.
Reza’s script, a winner of both the Tony Award for Best Play and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy, slices cleanly into questions of taste, identity, and the fragile architecture of long-held relationships.
With an opportunity to see three of Australia’s finest actors on stage, the casting here is nothing short of exemplary. Damon Herriman’s Serge radiates smug conviction that teeters just enough to reveal insecurity beneath the surface. Richard Roxburgh brings a thrilling volatility to Marc, his indignation laced with something deeper – hurt, perhaps even fear of change.
And Toby Schmitz nearly steals the evening as Yvan, spinning anxiety into comic gold while grounding the trio in something achingly human. Together, they achieve a rare alchemy: performances so finely tuned they feel spontaneous, as though the argument is unfolding for the first, and last, time.
Visually, Charles Davis’s design embraces a refined minimalism that feels deliberate rather than austere, while Paul Jackson’s lighting sculpts the space with subtle precision. David Letch’s sound design and Max Lambert’s original and quirky score provides an understated but essential emotional undercurrent.
What makes this production so invigorating is its clarity of focus. Lee Lewis resists overstatement, allowing Reza’s language, and the actors’ razor-sharp timing, to do much of the heavy lifting.
The result is a comedy that lands every laugh while never losing sight of its deeper, more uncomfortable truths. Beneath the banter lies a quietly devastating question: can we ever fully accept the people we love, once we truly see them?
ART
Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Performance: Saturday 25 April 2026 (7.30pm)
Season continues to 17 May 2026
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, ART will play at Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre from 20 – 24 May 2026. For more information, visit: www.arttheplay.com.au for details.
Images: Toby Schmitz, Richard Roxburgh and Damon Herriman – photo by Brett Boardman | Toby Schmitz and Damon Herriman – photo by Brett Boardman | Toby Schmitz and Richard Roxburgh – photo by Brett Boardman
Review: Rohan Shearn