The Four of Us
By Itamar Moses
Directed by Jeremy Wechsler
At Theater Wit, Chicago
Guy friendship get tested
Itamar Moses, a talented young playwright, has penned a smart, intelligent and thoroughly engaging comedy two-hander – The Four of Us. It deals with how men form friendships and how fragile they can be despite years of interaction. The Four of Us is a cleverly staged work by director Jeremy Wechsler that swiftly moves back and forth in time to tell how David (Usman Ally) and Benjamen’s (Collin Geraghty) relationship developed and how success can alter that friendship.
The 90 minute one-act open with David and Benjamin have dinner – David’s treat. They are celebrating Benjamin’s success. Usman Ally plays David as a manic, emotional struggling playwright. He is glib, intelligent and intense. Benjamin is a laid-back, confident and focused writer. Both have artistic aspirations.
The two meet at a high school music camp and they kept their friendship going through the years. Their trip to Prague was a hilariously vision into the nature of their friendship as the two exchanged views on sex, dating, travel and their future writing projects. We get hints into the underneath competition between the two as each struggles for success as artists.
When Benjamin announces, at the dinner, that he has received a $2million advance on his book, David instantly becomes jealous as their professional comfort zone abruptly disappears. David simply can’t deal with the inequality of the friendship. Since David has lost the competition, the bonds of the years can’t hold up. David now questions all of his artistic endeavors as fruitless.
The two become estranged. This clever plotted and smartly written play will grab you and make you laugh. Its realistic and plausible conclusion is most satisfying. It has been a while since a excellent ‘guy play’ has been so well acted. Usman Ally and Collin Geraghty’s stage chemistry made us believe they were the best of friends. This play hits home when one friend’s success threatens their relationship. Success and fame sure can kill a friendship. The Four of Us is a fine date night show and a worthy buddy play.
Recommended
Tom Williams
At Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL, call 773-975-8150, tickets $30, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm, running time is 90 minutes without an intermission.