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A CurtainUp Review
A CurtainUp Review
The Argument and Dinner Party

. . .Notes are struck of spiritual anguish, unassuageable longing, and shame. --Aristotle, The Argument

David Greenspan in the Argument
David Greenspan in The Argument
Anyone who has ever formally studied theater will be familiar with Aristotle's Poetics, the tome in which he sets down the elements of drama (spectacle, diction, etc.) and codifies tragedy and comedy that's trotted out in almost every theater history and theory course. It's very dense, very Greek. Not exactly a scintillating read; neither does it translate well to modern theatrical idiom with its talk about imitation, epic poetry, dithyrambs, and the hexameter vs. iambic pentameter. And yet, David Greenspan, himself a playwright (Jack, Dead Mother, She Stoops to Comedy etc.) has turned Poetics into a 45-minute dramatic monologue, making it interesting and even active.

The Argument is the continuation of Target Margin's season of new adaptations of the Greeks, and it's paired with another one-act, Dinner Party, based on Plato's Symposium. Greenspan reflective, almost elegiac tone of Poetics applies to the whole evening

Though Greenspan's deep affinity for the work comes through in his movement-based performance his ability to make it come alive is limited. No amount of gesturing will turn the monologue into edge-of-your-seat excitement. But then again, that's not really the point.
Dinner Party is a philosophical dialogue on the nature of love. It's a series of speeches given at—you guessed it—a dinner party. All of us have attended parties at which the hosts and/or guests have too much good wine and wax poetic (usually about the wine). Here the host challenges each guest to give a speech about the nature of love. And so, the actors (whose characters have the same first names) deliver a variety of observations. Some sound as if they've been translated directly from the ancient Greek, others are much more contemporary. They drink, talk, listen to music, and interact with each other in some very familiar and funny ways. Greenspan appears again, in an almost deus es machina fashion. Stephanie Weeks and Mary Neufeld are standouts in the small ensemble.

The set design (by Sarah Edkins) is a hodge-podge of old furniture, beads, art, bowls, stairs, all dominated by a giant oil painting. It's like a yard sale come to life, but it fits the show very well. Like the script, the set blends old and new in a really invigorating way.

If concept of the Greeks re-examined sounds too deep and philosophical for an easily enjoyable evening of theater, surprise yourself. Go see Target Margin make these two pieces add up to a poignant examination on life, love, art, and history.


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The Argument and Dinner Party
The Argument written and performed by David Greenspan, based on Aristotle's Poetics
Dinner Party by David Herskovitz, based on Plato's Symposium
Directed by David Herskovitz
Cast of Dinner Party: David Greenspan, Han Nah Kim, Diana Konopka, Mary Neufeld, Steven Rattazzi, Greig Sargeant, Stephanie Weeks, and Ian Wen
Costume Design: Asta Bennie Hotstetter
Lighting Design: Lenore Doxsee
Scenic Design: Sarah Edkins
Sound Design: Jane Shaw
Running Time: Two hours, with one fifteen-minute intermission
Target Margin Theater at The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street; 212-255-5793 x 11
06/16/07 TO 6/30/07
Tickets $15; Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on June 16th performance
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©Copyright 2007, Elyse Sommer.
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