Itamar Moses (
Bach in Leipzig) might just be the "it" boy of up-and-coming young playwrights. He's got a depth and emotional connection to the characters he pens that is not often seen today.
The Four of Us is ironically about half of that number - just two. Being successful and less than 30 himself, Moses just might have the inside track as to how money and fame affects friendships and the creative process of young artists.
Gideon Banner (Benjamin) and Mickael Esper (David) are both young artists who meet at a music camp when they are a mere 17 years old. They form a bond that endures, at times awkwardly, throughout their college and early professional careers. Ben rockets to fame just after college with his first novel. David struggles with finding his voice. Moses takes us on cleverly-conceived forward and backward tour of the evolution of their evolving friendship. Their awkward relationship endures over the years via phone calls, trips, and long awkward talks. It's about 3/4 through the play that we are slapped with a scene that turns your perspective inside out about the two characters. A clever theatrical device that leaves you questioning the entire relationship and both of the young men entirely. What was reality? What was the play?
The Four of Us is a poignant new play about friendship and memory, the gap between our stories and our lives, and what happens when your dreams come true -- for your best friend.
So take your best friend over to Stage II at the
Manhattan Theater Club and see these two talented young actors battle it out over life, love, success, and friendship.
