'I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan' Off-Broadway review — title actor works theatrical magic
Read our review of I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan off Broadway, a solo production at Atlantic Theater Company starring the titular stage actor.
Mona Pirnot’s new play I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan is a clever and likable fan letter sealed with a kiss to a few recipients. The theatre and playwrights are two objects of her affectionate dispatch.
The six-time Obie Award winner name-dropped in the title is, of course, another. Watching this 90-minute comedy unfold, a thought about actors occurred: Find a playwright who looks at you the way Pirnot views Greenspan.
Pirnot has built the solo one-act expressly for Greenspan — whose credits include various solo works in which he’s played multiple roles — to embody four women less than half his age. She's 100% certain he could execute the theatrical quad. Land it he does — clean, winning, precise. He plays Mona, Emmy, Regina, and Sierra, all writers but not all on the same page career- and salary-wise.
First up, Mona. She gets straight to the show’s point in a prologue: “I’ve been thinking about what it costs a person to make a living as a playwright. Or to try,” she says. That price, financially and psychologically, comes up, along with why theatre — and Greenspan — matter so much.
It’s as meta as it gets, and quite touching, doubly so if you’ve seen Greenspan on stage before. Guided by director Ken Rus Schmoll, Greenspan makes his trademark magic sans props, projections, or fancy trickery. With just a turn, a flutter of his hands, a squint, a vocal flourish, the ladies emerge. As Mona says matter-of-factly on stage, “David Greenspan can make you start seeing other people.”
I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan summary
Mona Pirnot’s play, premiering at Atlantic Stage 2, celebrates theatre and the people who craft it into a singular experience. The show’s structure is happily inside baseball, as explained in the show by the character of Mona: “I want to write a play about how much I love the work of David Greenspan written in the style of David Greenspan as a tribute to David Greenspan for David Greenspan.” She’s done it.
What to expect at I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
The play is a vehicle to showcase what Greenspan can do. Scenery and costume design by Arnulfo Maldonado is intentionally simple. The set features white walls and a long gray bench, and that’s it. Greenspan’s shirt has short sleeves, a sly way to remind he’s got nothing up them. Yuki Nakase Link’s lighting sets a mood and at times delineates who’s speaking.
What audiences are saying about I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
On the review aggregator Show-Score, the play has an 84% rating.
- “Should be required viewing for all theatre makers. somehow manages to tackle overwhelming cynicism about the industry with energy, humor, and tremendous heart.” Rebecca Mason on Show-Score
- “A virtuosic affirmation of the value of theatre.” Show-Score user SFort5094
- “I did not know David Greenspan before seeing the show, and if you don't know him either, I would encourage you to see this one-person play. [...] The script is frenetic, at least as performed by DG, smart and hysterically funny.” Show-Score user maisany
Read more audience reviews of I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan on Show-Score.
Who should see I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
- Audience members who enjoy solo shows will appreciate how the format is explored here in a theatre season that’s also brought The Picture of Dorian Gray and Vanya.
- Fans of Greenberg’s work in such shows as The Patsy, Strange Interlude, and I’m Looking for Helen Twelvetrees, which he also wrote, will savor his singular style and talent.
- Theatregoers who appreciated Pirnot’s grief-themed I Love You So Much I Could Die will enjoy seeing another aspect of her writing.
Learn more about I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Whether you know David Greenspan or not, the play speaks about what makes theatre special.
Photo credit: I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan off Broadway. (Photos by Ahron R. Foster)
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