Most back stage stories revolve around people in the world of dramas and musicals. Still there have been some memorable plays revolving around classical music. Terrence McNally's Master Class and The Stendhal Syndrome, produced at this very theater and also by Primary Stages, stand out. Though string quartets dot the classical music landscape, I can't recall seeing any plays about one of these groups—until this summer when I saw a world premiere of Damian Lanigan's Dissonance at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and also the New York premiere of Michael Hollinger's Opus.

It's not surprising that the relationships of the musicians in each playwright's quartet are fraught with complexities that are exacerbated by rehearsals for a crucially important concert. After all, this isn't a concert where you expect everyone to be in synch, but a drama which calls for some problems to add tension to the rehearsals. What's remarkable is that both plays are alike, but not alike ; interestingly but quite differently staged; and both are well worth seeing and with excellent potential for productions.

Not only do Hollinger'and Lanigan create dissimilar temperamental differences and pre-concert crises for their musicians but each playwright takes his own approach to having the non-musician actors handle their instruments as they rehearse — Mozart's "C-Major Quartet, K.46" a.k.a. as the "Dissonance Concerto" for Lannigan's Bradley Quartet, and Beethoven's "Opus 130" for Hollinger's Lazarus players. The common denominator for the sole female member of each group, is that, without taking anything away from the men, both actresses I saw were outstanding young performers.

It was interesting to see both these plays within a short time. If both were playing at the same time in the same city or town, it would be hard pressed to make an either/or choice. Seeing either one would be enhanced by a prior or follow up reading of Vikram Seth's novel An Equal Music: An Equal Music- Paperback edition.