On the one hand, I quite enjoyed my short evening watching three fine actors deliver convoluted arguments in faultless fashion.

On the other, perhaps that was because I had convinced myself John Duttine, Christopher Cazenove and Les Dennis could do no wrong.

Maybe I was mesmerised, sitting in £20.50 seats paying rapt attention to three friends apparently unable to stop themselves destroying years of comradeship in an argument over a patch of canvas.

Especially as traversing the gamut of their differences occupied just one hour, 20 minutes.

Undoubtedly, though, they covered a lot of ground in that time.

Yet it could be claimed they got nowhere in the greater scheme of things. Or that they summed up life in their analysis of each others' failings.

This is all about - well, not all about - a white painting with white stripes on it that Serge (Cazenove) has paid 200,000 francs for, much to the consternation of Marc, aka Duttine.

Umpire in the ensuing verbal jousting is their friend Yvan, portrayed by Les Dennis.

Mind you, he has his own agenda and his tirade against the problem-strewn arrangements for his forthcoming nuptials is a high spot.

The multi-award-winning play by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, is set in the three friends' Paris flats. They share a uniform taste for interior decor.

I'll have to leave you to decide if Art is substantial enough to constitute your idea of a satisfying evening's theatre. After all, you'll be out by ten to nine. There's no doubt about that.

Review by Mike Bacon, mike.bacon@theargus.co.uk