Illness disrupts a family in ‘A Small Fire’
Next Act Theatre’s production of Adam Bock’s “A Small Fire” follows one home, and demands contemplation.
The play, performed without intermission, focuses on a couple, Emily and John Bridges, whose lives are horribly altered when Emily is diagnosed with a disease that robs her of her senses of smell, taste, sight and hearing.
Each of the play’s four characters challenge stereotypical expectations. Emily, played by Mary MacDonald Kerr, runs her own construction company and more than holds her own with the men on the site. John, played by Jonathan Smoots, is the nurturer, homebody, and more softhearted of the pair.
Emily Vitrano plays Jenny Bridges, the couple’s daughter, who struggles to redefine a fractious mother-daughter relationship as the illness progresses. Mark Corkins plays Billy Fontaine, a friend and employee of Emily’s, whose life is also affected by the illness.
Next Act’s production, directed by David Cecsarini, is unhurried and frank. The characters’ strengths and foibles are introduced in a gradual, low-key fashion through which both bits of humor and the horror of Emily’s disease effectively sneak up on the audience.
An artful, balletic, fully clothed sex scene, played with an intense yearning and honesty by both MacDonald and Smoots, is an extremely polished bit of theater.
MacDonald is riveting in her portrayal of a woman pulled into isolation, one failing sense at a time. Her body language and presence after her senses have failed are no less compelling than her lines at the top of the show.
Smoots delivers a tenderhearted, gentle-spirited John, revealing a man of quiet strength as his wife’s condition worsens.
Vitrano’s take on Jenny, the couple’s daughter, is forthright and frustrated. She gradually peels back layers of the relationship with her mother, making her character’s choices understandable.
Corkins is a goodhearted, amiable bull in a china shop. His Billy is loud and rough around the edges, which makes his deft delivery of some surprising character details completely delightful.
The production itself is uncluttered, dressed with just enough details to define places and situations. Rick Rasmussen and Cecsarini designed a multi-layered set with framed walls standing sans drywall for a simultaneously solid and ephemeral effect.