Second Best Bed Productions Presents THE BOHEMIANS, 2/24-3/7

To little fanfare, amateur Ancient Greek enthusiast Gabe Miner has released his "translation" of The Bohemians, a previously unknown ancient comedy, which Miner has attributed to the playwright Aristophanes. According to Miner, a seemingly indecipherable manuscript that he found stuffed into the pocket of his Grandfather's favorite frock coat has proved to be one of the lost plays of Aristophanes, the Greek master of comedy who lived ca. 446-386 BCE. Miner, whose ancient Greek language credentials amount to "a high-school level Latin class that I took for a few years one semester," explains that this remarkable manuscript had been previously unnoticed by classicists and historians alike because "Aristophanes declined to make more than one copy, in light of the piracy that plagued the ancient world." When asked about the possibility that the manuscript is written in some other language, Miner shrugged and responded, "It's all Greek to me."

Miner believes that his grandfather, "a psychic of sorts, and all-around nice guy" must have, while on honeymoon in Greece, borrowed the manuscript from a local library and absent-mindedly neglected to return it. Miner, in a "good-will gesture," insists that he will assume all late fees incurred by his late grandfather.

Already, Miner's discovery has been met with swift denunciation by accredited Classicists. Michael Peachin, a professor of classics at NYU, described the manuscript, as "nothing more than a child's scribbles on tea-stained computer paper." Max von Weltschmertz, an undergraduate professor of Miner's at Columbia University, calls Miner "more of an accomplished idiot than anything else." Still, Miner is not deterred by such criticism. He has responded to his detractors by arguing that "every major discovery in the history of the world has been met with resistance by fools and cowards; I mean they hanged Darwin for Pete's sake." Also, "if they're so smart how come they haven't found Atlantis?"

Nevertheless, Miner, resigned to "play their game," is offering the "once in a life-time" opportunity for the public to weigh in on this academic debate. Miner is holding five public performances of The Bohemians. From Miner, "let the people decide who's telling the truth and whose pants are on fire." The Bohemians follows the aspiring artist Mediocrates as he struggles to find his artistic voice in New York's East Village. It will be performed by "the most brilliant theatre company in Manhattan" as part of the New York Frigid Theatre Festival. "The most brilliant theatre company in Manhattan" is in fact Second Best Bed Productions, a fledgling film and theatre company composed of entirely unemployed recent college grads. Miner is a founding member.

The Bohemians will be performed at the Kraine Theatre on Wednesday February 24 at 9:00 PM, Saturday February 27 at 1:00 PM, Sunday February 28 at 7:00 PM, Tuesday March 2 at 10:30 PM, and Sunday March 7 at 4:00 PM. Tickets are ten dollars, and reservations can be made by visiting www.smarttix.com.

 

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