THE HANGOVER REPORT – Alone onstage, David Greenspan once again astonishes in Gertrude Stein’s FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS

David Greenspan in Lucille Lortel Theatre’s production of “Four Saints in Three Acts” by Gertrude Stein at The Doxsee (photo by Steven Pisano).

For those who follow the New York theater scene closely, it’s no secret that David Greenspan is one of our more astonishing thespians. Over the years, he’s amassed a collection of memorable performances that have wowed downtown theatergoers with their ambition and unwavering commitment to storytelling and the present moment. Perhaps his most impressive accomplishment is his trilogy of one-man shows (which commenced smashingly with the hugely entertaining The Patsy by Barry Conners and continued with Eugene O’Neill’s massive Strange Interlude), the third of which he unveiled this month at the Doxsee in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

The anticipated third installment is essentially a one-man regurgitation of Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson’s 1934 opera Four Saints in Three Acts, sans Thomson’s music. Given the extremely unconventional nature of the material – surreal, non-linear, even nonsensical – the endeavor is arguably Greenspan’s most difficult assignment to date (even more so than his epic 6-hour solo performance in Strange Interlude). In true fashion, the actor attacks Stein’s libretto with relish and undaunted enthusiasm, launching into his performance without hint of hesitation. Indeed, not once did he take his foot off the pedal nor seem anything less than supremely confident over the course of the show’s loopy and uninterrupted 90-minute running time.

Greenspan gorgeously animates Stein’s tricky verbal labyrinth, drawing out subtle nuances and color without losing sight of the show’s overall pacing and shape (kudos also to director Ken Rus Schmoll for further calibrating the performance). Through his highly musical and elegantly expressive physical performance, he improbably brings clarity, texture, and considerable personality to a piece of text that on paper seems rather impenetrable. In short, he creates compelling, robust theater out of an unlikely source. Greenspan’s Four Saints in Three Acts is a magic trick that needs to be seen to be believed.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS
Off-Broadway, Play
Lucille Lortel Theatre at The Doxsee
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through October 9

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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