REVIEW: ‘Fires in the Mirror’ at Signature Theatre
Photo: Fires in the Mirror, written by Anna Deavere Smith and directed by Saheem Ali, stars Michael Benjamin Washington. Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus / Provided by BBB with permission.
Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror is a poignant one-person show that dives deep into some of the underlying issues of the Crown Heights riots in the summer of 1991. This powerful piece of testimonial theater was originally a vehicle written by and starring Smith, someone who is credited for creating this form of documentary theater. The 2019 revival, courtesy of New York City’s Signature Theatre, now stars Michael Benjamin Washington, and it’s every bit as fascinating, heartbreaking and revealing.
Over the course of one hour and 40 minutes, Washington brings to life several characters that touch upon issues of identity and perspective. Some of the earlier monologues provide context about the time period and societal beliefs in the early 1990s, while the second half focuses on the unfortunate incidents that took place in Brooklyn.
After these riots, the Black and Jewish communities were interviewed by Smith for Fires in the Mirror. She asked difficult questions and obviously elicited profound answers because her findings are what make up the drama and pathos of this play. When a Black American boy and young Orthodox Jewish scholar died in the summer of 1991, the events that transpired were unsettling and difficult for the communities involved. Unpacking the many issues at play, including anti-Semitism and racism, is what makes Smith such an astute documenter of real life.
Washington is remarkably talented and truly able to embody the many people who offered commentary on what happened in Crown Heights. He portrays everyone from the Rev. Al Sharpton to Rabbi Joseph Spielman to activist Angela Thomas to an anonymous Lubavitcher woman. He brings a sense of honesty and authenticity to the many parts that come to life on the stage of the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre, where Fires in the Mirror plays through Dec. 15.
Director Saheem Ali helps Washington slip in and out of each character thanks to clever, to-the-point staging. The actor turns left and then turns right, and with each turn comes a new history, a new perspective. A mirror hovers above the action, providing a visual backdrop that reflects Washington’s performance and sometimes even the audience members themselves.
Washington, to his credit, only needs a minimal costume and slight change in the voice to jump from one character to the next. He has so many skills as an interpreter of Smith’s words, and he never misses a beat (or a line) throughout the 100-minute production. He is able to pace out the monologues for dramatic effect, raising his voice for emphasis and taking a few extra beats when needed, especially when directly addressing the tragedy at the center of the narrative. He is a performer in control of the words and the many stories he is infusing with life.
Reviving Smith’s work without Smith as the performer might have seemed like a risky venture, but Washington is more than up for the challenge. Plus, his performance, Ali’s direction and Smith’s continued words of poignancy collectively cement Fires in the Mirror’s status as a moving American play, one of the strongest one-person shows in the past few decades. And in 2019, when many of these issues of identity, hatred, anti-Semitism, violence, community and division are still present, the show proves to be eerily prescient.
Fires in the Mirror is a thought-provoking piece of documentary theater that utilizes the fine interpretive skills of its central performer. This signature piece should make Signature proud.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Fires in the Mirror, written by Anna Deavere Smith and directed by Saheem Ali, stars Michael Benjamin Washington. Performances run through Dec. 15 at the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at Signature Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets. Rating: 
