The Substance of Fire
Here we are with another tale of two acts. First produced in 1990 at the Long Wharf Theatre and subsequently produced off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1991, The Substance of Fire is being presented for today’s audiences by Second Stage. Written by Jon Robin Baitz ( Other Desert Cities ), The Substance of Fire is about… well, I’m not entirely sure. After watching the first act, I thought this was another instance of Baitz looking in on families, dysfunctional though they may all be. But the second act shifted focus a bit, focusing on the curmudgeonly patriarch, and it was not nearly as interesting (though director Trip Cullman ( Murder Ballad ) did his best to find provocative moments). Set in 1987, the first act sees the Geldhart children, Sarah, Martin and Aaron ( Halley Feiffer ( Tigers Be Still ), Daniel Eric Gold and Carter Hudson , respectively) gathered in a conference room at their family-owned publishing house. They are not actively in one ano...