VIEWPOINTS – Signature Theatre Company continues to uphold the legacy of American playwriting via fine revivals of Anna Deavere Smith’s FIRES IN THE MIRROR and Horton Foote’s THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA

Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre Company continues to serve an important function in New York’s crowded theater scene. That is, to serve as a space to celebrate and uphold the legacy of American drama within the context the playwright’s (ongoing) career, as opposed to discrete productions of their plays. This fall, Signature has chosen for its “residencies” to continue to explore and nurture two very distinct and invaluable theatrical voices, those of Anna Deavere Smith and the late Horton Foote, via fine revivals of Fires in the Mirror (RECOMMENDED) and The Young Man from Atlanta (RECOMMENDED), respectively.

Michael Benjamin Washington in Signature Theatre Company's revival of "Fires in the Mirror" by Anna Deavere Smith at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

Michael Benjamin Washington in Signature Theatre Company’s revival of “Fires in the Mirror” by Anna Deavere Smith at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

Anna Deavere Smith revolutionized documentary theater when she burst onto the scene with Fires in the Mirror, her solo show investigating the Crown Heights Riots of 1991. Ms. Smith’s shows are typically culled from candid interviews pertaining to  targeted topics. In the instance of Fires in the Mirror, she sought the thoughts and opinions of those with the most skin in and were most directly affected by the race riots – members of the Black and Jewish community. Then, in an act of miraculous mimicry, Ms. Smith would regurgitate these interviews verbatim, as if possessed by the interviewees. By directly transcribing – without parody – these responses into performance, the task is left to the audience to construct for themselves the essential truths from these passing impressions. The question is whether the current Signature revival succeeds without Ms. Smith’s indelible presence onstage. In her stead, the talented young actor Michael Benjamin Washington, under Saheem Ali’s focused direction, has the unenviable duty of living up to Ms. Smith’s legendary performance. He comes winningly close, which in itself is a triumph. Even if he doesn’t yet possess Ms. Smith’s uncanny ability to convey the most nuanced of tics with ease, Mr. Washington does imbue his subjects with an generous, easy-going charisma that seductively draws the audience into the messy web of the sadly still-relevant play.

Aidan Quinn and Kristine Nielsen in Signature Theatre Company's revival of "The Young Man from Atlanta" by Horton Foote at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

Aidan Quinn and Kristine Nielsen in Signature Theatre Company’s revival of “The Young Man from Atlanta” by Horton Foote at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

Also playing at the Signature is Horton Foote’s The Young Man from Atlanta. I’m still mourning the loss of the playwright, who passed away about a decade ago now. He was one of the most genteel purveyors of his craft in American theater, and any drama that arose amongst his characters never materialized out of pure spite or evil. This was a man who truly believed in the inherent good in humanity despite all our petty flaws, and it’s this belief which he insistently portrayed – with disarming simplicity and grace – in his plays. As such, it’s always a refreshing pleasure to spend time with this creations. The Young Man from Atlanta won him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1995, and since its 1997 Broadway production, New York has not seen a major revival of the play. Thankfully, the Signature has taken up the task of reviving this quietly heartbreaking play about an older Houston-based couple still mourning the death (likely by suicide) of their only child. Director Michael Wilson is no stranger to staging Mr. Foote’s works, and he does an excellent job of conveying the necessary civilized veneer despite the turbulent emotions brewing just beneath the surface. It’s a fine line, which his handsome production walks expertly. As for the performances, they’re also very good across the board, although in the central role of Lily Dale, the broadly comic Kristine Nielsen seems a bit miscast, working hard to get to the heart of her character’s tragic story. She eventually gets there.

 

FIRES IN THE MIRROR
Off-Broadway, Play
Signature Theatre Company / Pershing Square Signature Center
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through December 22

THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA
Off-Broadway, Play
Signature Theatre Company / Pershing Square Signature Center
2 hour, 10 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 15

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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