WATCHING a Neil LaBute play is like viewing an irresistably cute puppy have its head slowly crushed in a vice.

You know you should look away, but with each turn of the screw, you find your eyes glued to the horror before you.

Each of the misanthropic playwright’s New York based short plays focusses on a different seemingly loving couple and each ends in a bloody mess on the floor.

Like a deliciously dark three course meal, LaBute’s latest play The Furies was dished up for starters.

The blackly comic tale of a dying gay man’s attempt to end a relationship, made more difficult by his partner’s overbearing sister, was a bitter sweet appetiser.

While Land of the Dead’s tragic story of a couple’s decision to have an abortion on 9/11 was a more satisfying main.

But like all decadent banquets, the most extravagant dish was served last.

Helter Skelter’s musings on how far a wife would go to avenge her cheating husband is rich, devilishly moreish but ultimately sticks in your throat and chokes you.

Dialogue Productions' presentation at Greenwich Theatre is as slick and stylish as a vintage sports car at a demolition derby - a beautiful motor which will make you cheer with joy then gasp with shock as it ends up in a mangled mess on the sidings.

The three man cast — Stuart Laing, Patrick Driver and Frances Grey — are utterly believable, with Grey in particular delivering a stunning performance in the finale.

A must-see show for anyone who enjoys watching a good car crash.

Neil LaBute's The Furies, Land of the Dead, Helter Skelter. Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich. Until tomorrow. 020 8858 7755.