Review: THE ARSONISTS is Incendiary at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Do you ever feel like we're all just sitting around watching the world burn? If you would like to do that in the presence of like-minded theatre goers, then head down to Woolly Mammoth and experience the sensation that is THE ARSONISTS. Written by Max Frisch in 1958 and commonly interpreted as a metaphor for the rise of Communism and Nazism, this new translation by Alistair Beaton directed by Michael John Garcés feels frighteningly contemporary.

The television in the center of Misha Kachman's inventive set design invites us into the Betterman's living room. It may look much like your own television these days, playing an endless loop of Irma and Harvey coverage, Trump threatening to rain down "fire and fury" on North Korea, and various other relevant contemporary disasters. At the center of it all, George Betterman is our Everyman. Though the world around him is catching fire he takes solace in the fact that his own house is not ablaze. He even goes so far as to invite two strangers into his home, giving them free reign of his attic. When they begin loading the attic full of gasoline, we wait with baited breath to see whether George Betterman will light the fire himself...

Like much great theatre this season, THE ARSONISTS is astoundingly relevant. You won't be able to help taking a good long look at yourself as you grapple with the moral implications of the production. A chorus of fire fighters (Akeem Davis, Peter Howard, José Joaquín Perez, Sue Jin Song, and Emily Townley) helplessly watch the riotous goings-on at the Betterman residence, breaking the fourth wall as is so often done in Brechtian parables and looking us straight in the eye. Do something, they dare us. Can't we see these are arsonists? How could we, this community constructed here tonight, be so complicit in such obvious destruction? If you're flashing back to what happened in our most recent election, then you're on the right track. Woolly decided to mount this recent translation (with DC-centric updates from director Michael John Garcés) in the early hours of November 9th.

If you want to see actors at the top of their game, enhancing the performances of those around them with humor, resolve, and grit, then THE ARSONISTS can't be beat. Howard Shalwitz in his 38th Season as Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth delivers a knock-out performance as George Betterman. He and wife Becca Betterman, played charmingly by Bahni Turpin, make a dynamic pair. Tim Getman and Kimberly Gilbert as Joe Smith and Billie Irons are uproariously funny. They take full advantage of the physicality the roles allow and the bold acting choices demanded by such a script. Regina Aquino as the Betterman's maid Anna is a standout- she infuses the production with both dry humor and palpable emotion. Director Michael John Garcés and the company have a nuanced, thoughtful, polished winner of their hands.

If you need to talk through thoughts, feelings, or existential dread after the production, Woolly has created the space for that! In their program note, Civic Organizer Laurenellen McCann details the workshops, projects, and conversations that the cast and creative team engaged in over the course of the rehearsal process. They note that Garcés never fails to remind them that, "...this is inherently uncomfortable work. Real change requires us to risk seeing ourselves in something ugly, to risk being implicated by that which we despise. And real change requires work." So if you want to start that work, add your voice to the conversation at the post-show discussion immediately following the production.

As the cast and creative team implore, "Go to new places. Make new friends. March."

Woolly Mammoth's THE ARSONISTS runs through October 8th at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. For tickets, visit woollymammoth.net or call 202-393-3939!

Running Time: 2 hours with no intermission

Pictured (left to right): Howard Shalwitz, Kimberly Gilbert. Photo by Daniel Cory

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