A Small Fire

Bebe Neuwirth & John Dossett

A Small Fire by Adam Bock is being presented by the Philadelphia Theatre Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets through November 10, 2019. This exquisite one-act, starring the talented ensemble cast of Bebe Neuwirth, John Dossett, Oge Agulué, and Sarah Gliko suspends belief and returns it in the play’s innovative ending. John Bridges (John Dossett) becomes the rock in this drama as his wife Emily (Bebe Neuwirth) first loses her sense of smell which is almost disastrous when she cannot smell a gas leak at the construction firm she operates. Loss of smell equates with loss of taste, which is not helpful in choosing items for her daughter Jenny’s wedding. Understandably, perhaps, Emily is cantankerous about these losses. Neuwirth is superb as she undergoes various changes after losing even more senses. Before the wedding, she loses her sight. As she has to lean on her husband, she is appreciative and mellow in her dependence. Hysteria sets in when she realizes she can no longer hear. But John is always by her side as a calming influence as he maintains, “Love isn’t what you get from someone; it’s what you give.” Bebe Neuwirth’s performance as a woman who has lost her sense of smell and taste, sight and hearing, is phenomenal. Her portrayals are not only convincing but a character study as her entire personality changes. Jenny Bridges (Sarah Gliko) is disturbingly believable as she portrays a daughter who is a “daddy’s girl” and has little sympathy for a mother who never liked her husband. Chelsea M. Warren has done an outstanding job with the set design. Backdrops are lowered onto the stage to create new scenes while other sets are behind it. For more information or tickets to this intriguing play, call 215-985-0420 or visit PhilaTheatreco.org.