The Argument

By TERRY TEACHOUT

Long famous for his lack of interest in male-female duets, Mark Morris has had a change of heart: The Argument, a witty, oddly melancholy study in relationships, puts three couples on stage, accompanied by Schumann's Five Pieces in Folk Style, and shows them not getting along. Sometimes they grumble, sometimes they quarrel--and every once in a while they waltz, gently and sadly. Performed in New York City by a high-class cast, including Morris, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Argument shows that the erstwhile bad boy of modern dance just keeps getting better.

--By Terry Teachout