Couples bicker, lovers fight. When we see this portrayed artistically, it often comes in the form of cartoonish sitcom plots, or preciously witty but ultimately harmless exchanges, without any real venom behind them. If you’re looking for a couple that really hits below the belt, tossing insults with overwhelming vitriol and the kind of carefully targeted aim that only a significant other could manage, you turn to Edward Albee’s classic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

The vicious yet undeniably brillaint dialogue is what makes Virginia Woolf such a compelling play, though the Kennedy Center’s current production has more than just Albee’s words to recommend it. It was interesting to view the show last night with an audience that clearly knew it well — laughter almost preceeded some lines, taking a little bit of the bite out of the execution, but adding a different sort of intimacy to the experience.

Virginia Woolf, of course, takes place in the home of a husband and wife who have just returned from a party. George and Martha, a cantankerous middle-aged couple, have invited a younger pair of married acquaintences, Nick and Honey, for a 2 a.m. post-party drink (well, Martha has; George is none too thrilled with the development). Even upon arrival, Nick and Honey can see they’ve found themselves in the middle of a domestic dispute, and become observers, pawns and weapons in the couple’s layered battle of wills.