The lights dim. Figures dressed in black make their way onto the stage one by one. Each character shows an original personality quirk of an interesting sort. And then, the story begins. People enter the stage with a significant other only to leave them at the sound of music for another lover. This is the story conveyed in the show "La Dispute," adapted and directed by Anne Bogart, now showing at the American Repertory Theatre. It has tangos, improvisational music and even some well-known songs, such as "All By Myself" (no, not the Celine Dion version). It even has its own "gods" in the form of one man and one woman who know all about life, love and lust. Have you ever wanted someone, but, because of certain circumstances couldn't have him without hurting someone else? That is the main theme in "La Dispute." Two people are introduced in an ideal world, an "Eden-like" paradise, in which they have never seen another member of the opposite sex and don't even know they exist. They are introduced to themselves through mirrors, resolving themselves in streams. They think they are the most beautiful people in the world until they meet their significant other, a supposed occurrence of love-at-first-sight.

Separation is the key. The new lovers are told they must separate or else their love will dwindle to nothing, and so, with a lot of tears, hugs and kisses, the two finally split. Suddenly, a new person is added to the plot, in the form of another woman. As soon as the two women meet, spite, competition and comedy are born into the story. They feel the need to compete for the attentions of the one man. The full house of people laughed their heads off at seeing the two women pettily duke it out.

Later on, we see the beginning of male bonding at its best. Two men meet, shake hands, strip and chat about their women. There is no surprise here. They walk around with towels on their necks symbolizing the usual environment for men, also known as the gym. Eventually, one of the women finds them, and meets the other man in the world. Her immediate attraction to him is obvious, indicating that she is not as loyal as she should have been after pledging her heart to her lover. The new man is also not loyal, forgetting that he had also pledged his heart to the other woman. What a Jerry Springer show this would make.

We then learn the bitter realities of jealousy, anger, betrayal and pain. The lovers confront one another and bitter words are thrown about the stage. The rest of the ensemble, who had been looking on through the entire telling of the story surrounding the four lovers, came out, and the beginning is begun again. Then, our perfectly ideal couple, the only two people dressed in white, are asked to choose between the rest of the cast, everyone else in black, "Who could you want besides each other?" Of course, ideally, they have no interest in anyone but each other, showing us that true love does exist. After watching the relationships of the two couples fall and crumble, it was nice to have the show end on a positive note, showing love at its best. As the play clearly expresses in words and emotions, "Vice and virtue both own their share.