Theater: “I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan” @ Atlantic Theater Company

How many of you’ve ever heard of an actor-playwright named David Greenspan? (Don’t all answer at once.)

Okay so maybe you don’t recognize the name. But someday you will want to know more about this seven-time OBIE-award winner who currently has audiences belly-laughing up a storm at Atlantic Theater Company.

The one-man show, “I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan” was actually written by Mona Pirnot (“I Love You So Much I Could Die.”) “I wanted to write a play about how much I love the work of David Greenspan, written in the style of David Greenspan, as a tribute to David Greenspan, for David Greenspan.”

But to be clear, “Assuming” is not a bio play. It’s about the joys and annoyances of living the playwright’s life, mostly with its constant rejection and lack of financial reward.

Greenspan plays four millennial women playwrights—Emmy, Regina, Siena and Mona—who have come to Emmy’s apartment to do a reading of her new play. In her preamble to the reading, however, Emmy wonders if she should continue to write plays. “I have this expensive degree in theater writing, and I can’t even afford health care,” she whines.

Siena and Mona react very differently to her announcement. Siena advises Emmy to switch to TV, where she’s making $10,000 a week churning out scripts for Disney. “In one week?” Emmy cries out incredulously.

Mona on the other hand tells Emmy to stick with playwriting, as she has, but Siena calls her out on the advantage Mona enjoys: an artistically successful boyfriend and faculty housing at NYU. “‘Boyfriend’,” Mina scoffs. “We prefer to call each other ‘partners.’” (Note: the boyfriend-partner is playwright Lucas Hnath.)

There are insid

e snarky barbs coming at you a mile a minute, some of which only NYC theater fanatics may get—such as references to the fairly obscure Abrons Art Center and to everybody’s favorite playwright: William Shakespeare. “But what about Caryl Churchill?” Mona argues. “Please,” sighs Siena. “The only people on the street who know Caryl Churchill are those on East 4th exiting New York Theater Workshop.”

Greenspan makes everything high-larious , darting across the stage balletically and doing quick about-faces to signal different characters talking to one another. (One actor playing multiple parts is apparently a thing this year.)

Greenspan also has a distinctive repertoire of gestures. If his character has a sensual thought, for example, he tilts his head to one side, then closes his eyes and caresses his own cheek with the back of his hand. Then there’s his voice, which is high, resonant, sometimes piercing, and always musical.

NYC theater fanatics also know you exit Atlantic’s West 16th Street stage via the elevator. Everybody riding up with me was smiling. Why? Because they now know David Greenspan. People, it’s your turn. At Atlantic Theatre through April 30.

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