THE FOUR OF US: The Price of Someone Else’s Success

Title
The Four of Us

Author
Itamar Moses

What It’s All About
When Benjamin’s debut novel becomes a worldwide bestseller, David, his best friend and aspiring (yet struggling) playwright, couldn’t be more proud of him. Or so he keeps convincing himself. Arguably each others hardest critic, both men now face the challenges of maintaining a friendship that innocently began 10 years prior at music camp but is now hurdling through crescendos of jealousy and wavering promises. What exactly is the price of someone else’s success?

Why You Should Do This Play
This is a coming-of-age story for those late-late-bloomers who still haven’t figured themselves out by college graduation, which let’s admit, is 99% of us. Testing the limits of what it means to be a friend, a colleague, or just a human, this play serves as a very relatable, very truthful testament to the struggles we face everyday not just with others but especially ourselves.

The Particulars
Most noticeable, this is a 2M cast: David and Benjamin. A specific note is written to address the “doubles” in the final stage direction, Moses’ most important direction of the play; make certain to read ALL notes provided. Apart from that, this is a 90-minute dramatic comedy featuring several unit sets, a broken timeline, and mild-adult content.

Need to Know
The Four of Us received its initial workshop at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and went onto its world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego in 2007, winning the 2008 San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play. It then made its New York premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2008.