The Substance of Fire

[Frankly Rich]

The revival of this play, The Substance of FIRE (not Power!) opened last night to mixed reviews, which is probably why I was able to get a cheap ticket on tdf, Once again, I use didhelikeit.com to summarize the reviews. Jon Robert Baitz, who also did Other Desert Cities, wrote the play, which first appeared in 1991.

 

Synopsis: Isaac Geldhart, the volatile and brilliant patriarch of his family publishing house, is stubbornly holding on to his place at the head of the company while his three children try to convince him to publish a desperately needed best-seller. Confronted with a changing literary landscape and potential takeover of the company, the Geldhart children must either come to terms with their father and band together or break apart and forfeit the legacy he risked everything to build.

 

Review summaries and links to full reviews:http://www.didhelikeit.com/shows/off-broadway/the-substance-of-fire-reviews.html

 

(Moderator, please change thread title to Substance of Fire)

[MrMiniver]

The revival of this play, The Substance of FIRE (not Power!) opened last night to mixed reviews, which is probably why I was able to get a cheap ticket on tdf, Once again, I use didhelikeit.com to summarize the reviews. Jon Robert Baitz, who also did Other Desert Cities, wrote the play, which first appeared in 1991.

 

Synopsis: Isaac Geldhart, the volatile and brilliant patriarch of his family publishing house, is stubbornly holding on to his place at the head of the company while his three children try to convince him to publish a desperately needed best-seller. Confronted with a changing literary landscape and potential takeover of the company, the Geldhart children must either come to terms with their father and band together or break apart and forfeit the legacy he risked everything to build.

 

Review summaries and links to full reviews:http://www.didhelikeit.com/shows/off-broadway/the-substance-of-fire-reviews.html

 

(Moderator, please change thread title to Substance of Fire)

 

Sounds like yet another attempt to make a contemporary rip off of King Lear.

[Frankly Rich]

Sorry to say that I didn't go wild for this show. The acting was good, the sets great, but I just didn't care about the family feud. The second act borders on absurd. But, surely others have a different take and can educate me on the fine points that might have sailed over my head. But as of now it looks like an attempt to bring this play back to cash in on the success of Other Desert Cities, which I loved.

[Frankly Rich]

Frankly Rich: "The second act borders on absurd. But, surely others have a different take..."

 

And our favorite critic, Terry Teachout, of the WSJ, does! He writes: "...at intermission I expected to pan it....but things get vastly more interesting...[and] is far more interesting than the first act..."

 

His review of The Substance of Fire is the second review at this link: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304431104579547651165588642?mg=reno64-wsj

 

But, take note! The NY Post differed: "Too bad the first [act] is much better than the second..." And the Daily News said: "Baitz' script packs smarts and spiky humor, especially in the livelier first half."

 

So, take that, Terry Teachout!