Art is a good romp for three wildly differing characters. In the hands of director Shelly Higgs and the creative team at The Street, three excellent actors wring the most out of this little comedy about art and life and pretension and friendship.

Perfectionist Serge (Shane Dundas) has spent a great deal of money on a painting which appears to be purely white (there is some argument about whether it has some white lines on it). His old friend Marc (Christopher Carroll) has a more conventional outlook on the nature of art and thinks this is a ridiculous price to pay.

Their shambolic friend Yvan (Craig Alexander) is caught somewhat in the middle, more concerned over the turmoil of his upcoming marriage than he is about Serge's purchase. Or about the nature of the artwork.

Yvan, trapped in a job in stationery that he does not seem to want and occasionally wielding a felt-tipped pen that will become significant, does not want to upset the long friendship of the three, but the purchase and the nature of the painting create rifts. Home truths are spoken.

The cast is first-rate and clearly relishes the play's opportunities.

Carroll makes an urbane Marc, secure in his views on art which are much more likely to include landscape than the abstract. And secure about the way in which the relationships between the three have been working. And the pecking order.

Dundas's Serge is a perfectionist. The white painting will fit perfectly into his minimalist home when he decides where best to hang it. Watch him tidy up relentlessly after the carelessness of the very untidy Yvan. Dundas brings a very funny physicality to the tidying up and to the nervous twitches of the whole role.

Yvan is neither tidy nor clever about art or much else. But Alexander's performance creates a man with a warm heart overflowing with feelings. He catches a sense of what poor Yvan's upcoming marriage will be and why he will continue to need his friends.

We never see the women in his life but he gives us a vivid picture of what they are like. It is a struggle for him to stand up to anybody without bluster and stress.

The production brings out the snobbery and intellectual competitiveness between Serge and Marc and how this excludes Yvan. When it suits, they gang up on him.

All three are occasionally prone to addressing the audience directly, usually about each other. That art purchase continues to disturb.

The set design by Imogen Keen enables clever and quick conversions to each man's living space and along with Gerry Corcoran's subtle lighting design allows clear handling of everything from dim upstage appearances to strong downstage direct address to the audience.

Art is a gentle comedy with a certain sharpness of observation of the nature of male friendships and male arguments. In the hands of assured actors and a strong director, as it is here, it is a delight to watch.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.