The Substance of Fire

by Jon Robin Baitz Narrated by Shirley Knight, Full Cast

Overview

Jon Robin Baitz's commanding drama about a New York publisher and Holocaust survivor whose decision to publish obscure political tracts threatens the future of both the publisher's company and his family.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Gretchen Cleevely, Mitchell Hebert, Shirley Knight, Ron Rifkin and Stephen F. Schmidt.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

This two-act play deals with publishing, book collecting, social responsibility, aging, and how the mix may affect family relationships. The patriarch of Geldhart Books is committed to publishing classics, or works of social significance, especially works on the Holocaust, and the business is in danger of failing. A takeover by Geldhart's children does not reverse the course of the house. Baitz uses a lot of humor to explore some complex situations. This is another in a series of excellent productions from L.A. Theatre Works, this time in association with the Arena Stage Theatre Company and Smithsonian Associates, and performed by Ron Rifkin, Shirley Knight, and others, before a live audience for broadcast on Voice of America. The acting, sound effects, packaging, and overall engineering are all superb. Very highly recommended for adult collections. Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

SEPTEMBER 2014 - AudioFile

With a smoldering intensity, Ron Rifkin entirely inhabits his award-winning role as the troubled, guilt-ridden Holocaust survivor Isaac Geldhart. After his wife has passed away, in the twilight of his successful career as a small-press book publisher, Geldhart is confronted by his three adult children, voiced with easy naturalism and cutting humor by Gretchen Cleevely, Mitchell Hebert, and Stephen F. Schmidt. They don’t want to see him bankrupt the company by publishing an expensive scholarly work on Nazi medical experiments, but he refuses to back down. Rifkin’s acerbic verbal battles with his social worker, a marvelous Shirley Knight, are an example of the best in modern American theater writing and acting. B.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170307036
Publisher:	L.A. Theatre Works
Publication date:	07/23/2007
Edition description:	Unabridged

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