Four Saints in Three Acts NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (15)
See it if The incomparable theatre icon David Greenspan mesmerizes in a new solo show this time from a Gertrude Stein text Dense material made musical
Don't see it if Both Stein & Greenspan are acquired tastes & can be somewhat opaque & precious But as Stein says "If you enjoyed it than you understood it"
See it if David Greenspan is unique. His solo shows are riveting. Perfect for Gertrude Stein's wacky verse. David catches the cadences
Don't see it if Hilarious and hypnotic. The lines are repetitive and often nonsensical. Just let it wash over you and enjoy Greenspan's performance art.
See it if love one person shows or love David Greenspan. Absorbing trying to figure out the narrative though there is none - yet there is.
Don't see it if Need a story versus moments. Hate one-person shows. Don't like non-linear shows.
See it if You like experimental theater in a cool space
Don't see it if You like a conventional plot
See it if you don't know of David Greenspan, (You should know him) or Gertrude Stein (You should know her) or Target Margin (You know them, too).
Don't see it if you can't build in extra time for the subway because it may run late like it did tonight & a 45 minute ride turned out to take 90 minutes. Read more
See it if Astonishing achievement to memorize and perform a piece that seems formless and mostly word play. Strangely spellbinding tour de force.
Don't see it if No real plot and requires concentration. It's one man and no real staging. Quirky and esoteric, confusing and confounding in a good way.
See it if This is an extraordinary tour de force by David Greenspan.
Don't see it if You don’t like Gertrude Stein’s work.
See it if you have a familiarity with the subject matter and you want to see a solo actor engage in a stunning feat of making the senseless make sense
Don't see it if you need a story arc, any sort of cohesive plot, or even actual recognizable characters. I would consider this intellectual experimentation. Read more
Critic Reviews (10)
"Watching Greenspan perform this play, with his silent-screen expressiveness and full-body eloquence, is like watching a manic movie montage spliced together from bits of film, each brief segment making a kind of sense in its moment, independent of the whole."
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Greenspan…is, by turns, grand, coquettish, robotic, confiding, irritated, officious, and prayerful. He strikes melodramatic poses…he briefly assumes a mantle of piety; he bursts into giggles over the madness of it all. He often seems to be listening to the prompts of voices only he can hear. Indeed, you could say he has been possessed by Stein's restless spirit; this is a performance as antic, impish, and as impossible to parse as her charming and bewildering words.
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"David Greenspan raises the bar for actors. In fact, he is so good, I can affirm that I would watch him read Gertrude Stein."
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"Greenspan does the script in 90 minutes on a simple and quite beautiful Yuki Nakase Link set."
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Greenspan isn’t always totally clear when switching points of view, but made up for this by turning the entire, long script into a wonderland of gestures, vocalizations, postures and movements. His eyes and his hands are masterful communicators. His lean body’s dancelike movements add dimension to the onslaught of words. This is a performance that must be seen to appreciate how mindboggling his accomplishment is.
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"The theater is alive in a very special way at the Doxsee... With each gesture, one almost feels moved, blessed with the mystery of saints revealed in a complete, yet subtle way. The authentic practice of the art of speaking is revered."
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"David Greenspan’s performance is lyrical and lovely, humorous and intriguing… beautiful. He is magical."
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"Greenspan is inhabiting Stein's characters, transforming bare words into beautiful meanings, or at least, endless reachings for meaning."
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