Next Act’s ‘small fire’ burns with honesty

By MARILYN JOZWIK

Published Feb. 4, 2020

There are those gifted people who can look at something and see its creative possibilities.

There’s the designer who sees the “good bones” in an old, worn home, the photographer who looks at an ordinary view and finds something extraordinary to shoot, the chef who can take a pantry full of everyday spices and turn it into an amazing dish.

David Cecsarini is one of those creative people. In the talk-back for “A Small Fire,” which he directs, he admitted that it took several years and several readings before seeing the play’s possibilities. And, he admitted, it needed a “little massaging.” If it needed massaging, it probably was deep tissue variety.

There is an incredible amount of body language in this show, which just doesn’t manifest in the script. It takes an experienced cast and director to get this right.

Next Act Theatre’s “A Small Fire” by Adam Bock got it right. It is an incredibly moving, artistic, yet simple play that reaches to the very core of our humanity. Just a brilliant production that Cecsarini has taken great care of.

Mary MacDonald Kerr is Emily Bridges, who owns a construction business. We see Emily on a construction site to open the show. She is tough and no-nonsense, like her crew chief, Billy (Mark Corkins), who is also a good friend and talks with a steady stream of expletives—as does his boss. You don’t mess with her.

Her husband, John Bridges (Jonathan Smoots), is the opposite. He’s in HR and is patient and soft-spoken, the kind of person you’d describe as “such a nice guy.” And he’s totally in love with Emily, who handles everything, takes the bull by the horns.

Their daughter Jenny (Emily Vitrano) is getting preparing for her wedding and Emily is not in favor of her choice for a spouse – and lets him know it. John tries to explain that “they’re in love,” which doesn’t seem to be enough of a reason for Emily.

Jenny and Emily haven’t seen eye-to-eye before this. Jenny tells her dad, “I don’t know why you put up with her.”

But the family dynamics are turned on their head when Emily starts losing her senses – first smell, then taste – until she is, literally, nearly senseless. The strong become weak – the weak become strong. And the one with no feelings learns how to feel.

These are captivating performances that left an audience riveted for the 75-minute, intermission-less show. There were many scenes that were so still you couldn’t hear a breath in the audience – like when Jenny applied lipstick to her sightless mom. The pauses and silence are shining moments in this show, allowing the scenes to spread out like heat from a fireplace.

Kerr takes Emily through a lifetime of transformation brilliantly as Emily moves from totally independent to totally dependent. Emily changes from a firm, upright, in your face person and is reduced to a near fetal posture. It’s like watching a flower fade in time lapse photography – save for the new growth at the end.

Smoots is somewhat of a foil, his mild character only emphasizing Emily’s rough edges. While Emily is always in high gear (once proclaiming as she answers the phone, “I wish there were two of me”), John is calm, rational, deliberate. Smoots shows John’s changes as Emily’s illness progresses, shoulders slumped, voice thinned, eyes saddened. Another masterful performance.

Vitrano as Jenny keeps the character’s firm edges throughout, and you realize just how much she is like her mother. Vitrano, too,keeps the right tone for Jenny, which make the scenes with her mom full of pain and hope.

Corkins’ Billy is a big and boisterous character, adding bursts of energy and humor. Billy’s unusual hobby and surprising revelations keep him interesting.

Every scene here is a gem. At Jenny’s wedding John stays by Emily’s side to describe the humorous goings-on, after which Emily tells him, “I didn’t love you, but I love you now.” The ending scene is a bit of theatrical magic.

Cecsarini along with Rick Rasmussen have created a simple, distinctive, multi-layered set of 2x4 framing that works beautifully for a construction site, office, the Bridges home – even the wedding venue. Aaron Sherkow’s lighting also helps define the spaces, create visual appeal and provide focus.

If you go

Who: Next Act Theatre

What: “A Little Fire”

When: Through Feb. 23

Where: 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee

Info/Tickets: nextact.org; 414-278-0765