Ad Astra Production
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Three little words that could destroy it all.
Tess & Curtis. Bonnie & Annie. Two couples who've done life together for twenty years. They know each other's quirks, finish each other's wine, and can navigate a dinner party like a well-rehearsed dance. Their friendship is the anchor. Their routines are sacred. Everything is exactly as it should be.
Then Tess & Curtis drop a bombshell.
What should have been just another evening becomes the night everything unravels. Suddenly, the carefully maintained balance tips. Old assumptions don't hold. Conversations take unexpected turns. And the question hanging in the air is impossible to ignore: if they couldn't make it work, what does that mean for the rest of us?
As the fallout spreads, Bonnie & Annie find themselves caught in the crossfire of their friends' choices. Lines are drawn. Sides are taken. And before long, they're forced to examine their own relationship—the parts they've been too comfortable to question, too content to change.
Joanna Murray-Smith's wickedly smart comedy peels back the surface of modern relationships to reveal what happens when one person's freedom becomes someone else's crisis. Filled with sharp dialogue, uncomfortable truths, and moments of genuine hilarity, Three Little Words is about friendship, marriage, and the terrifying possibility that the life you've built might not be the life you want.
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A director’s job is made so much easier when starting with a strong script, so working with the words of the wonderful Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith has made this process a genuine joy. Three Little Words has given us the opportunity to examine what people in intimate relationships say to each other, what is left unsaid, and the tension that sits between the two.
There is a delicate balance in all four characters within the play, their confidence, their vulnerability, their desire for control, their need for support, and their yearning to be understood. I am incredibly thankful that I was gifted a cast who were able to portray these characteristics with charm, humour and emotional depth. Bianca, Cameron, Julie and NJ have displayed such commitment, honesty and a willingness to play, which has allowed us to dig deep into this text to uncover its many layers.
When it came to staging this show, I knew I wanted to take a minimalist approach, which has allowed us to strip everything back, so the focus remains firmly on the words and the performances. By keeping the staging simple, we’ve created space for the actors and the text to speak clearly and connect directly with the audience.
My sincere thanks also goes to my creative team who helped build the world of the play: my assistant director Ellen Hardisty, stage manager Kat Coomber, lighting designer Dan Endicott, costume assistant Eleonora Ginardi, and my husband and sound designer Peter Eades – for his sounds, but more importantly for keeping my sane.
Thank you for supporting independent theatre, I truly hope you enjoy the show!
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To be added closer to the performance date.
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Annie | Bianca Butler Reynolds
Bonnie | Nicola Jayne Price
Curtis | Cameron Hurry
Tess | Julie Cotterell
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Director | Greg Scurr
Assistant Director | Ellen Hardisty
Stage Manager | Kat Coomber
Sound Design | Greg Scurr & Peter Eades
Lighting Design | Daniel Endicott
Set Design | Greg Scurr
Fight & Intimacy Co-ordinator | NJ Price
Costume Assistant | Eleanora Ginardi
Production Assistant | Sarah Speller
Show Poster
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“This is an excellent,emotionally resonant, character‑focused interpretation that honours the complexity of Murray-Smith’s script.”
Meredith Walker - Blue Curtains | Read More
“Three Little Words pokes at marriage, friendship, identity, compromise, the quiet resentments people swear they are fine about, and Ad Astra lets us sit right in the awkward, wine-soaked middle of it.”
Stage Buzz | Read More
Fast-paced, witty, intelligent, insightful, this play deals with the complexities of expectations and compromise at the heart of any close relationship.
Stage Whispers | Read More
Described as “a wickedly smart comedy”, Three Little Words by Joanna Murray-Smith in Ad Astra’s intimate Pluto black box theatre provides a lot more than a good laugh.
Village Voice | Read More
