tweet review - #mnfringe show 4: Baldwin's Last Fire, delivers on premise of conjuring James Baldwin onstage then setting him on the case of kidnapped/murdered black children in a small French town; Baldwin might even be too big for a Fringe-sized tale but it's a lot of fun to watch - 4.5 stars
The chief joy of the Fringe show Baldwin’s Last Fire is playwright Reginald Edmund’s recreation of the character of the great writer James Baldwin on the page, and then director/performer Harry Waters, Jr. bringing Baldwin to life again onstage. Both Edmund and Waters have a great ear for both Baldwin’s prose and his persona and it’s a lot of fun to have the writer manifested in this context.
“You’re incredible.”
“Believe me, I know.”
The play itself is a work of historical fiction, imagining what might happen if, as James Baldwin lived out his later years abroad in France, he was approached for help in solving the mystery of the kidnapping and murder of a series of young black children in a small French town. Another young girl has just gone missing, so the clock is ticking to find her and return her to her family, so she doesn’t suffer the same fate as the children before her.
“Today, you slayed a monster.”
Baldwin has the assistance of a plucky sidekick, of course, a young white man named Park (Jake Quatt). Park has been hired as Baldwin’s caretaker while the writer’s boyfriend is out of town, and as Baldwin admits, it’s a good thing Park is cute because his drink mixing and general cooking skills aren’t always up to Baldwin’s expectations. Park also doubles as Baldwin’s driver as they head off into the French countryside.
“I don’t have to do nothing but stay black, and die.”
Quick side note: I really appreciate that the play doesn’t hide or ignore Baldwin’s sexuality. It’s not central to the plot, but some would argue it is as central to his character as being black, so it’s refreshing to see a treatment of Baldwin that doesn’t get hung up on that score, but simply acknowledges it and incorporates it throughout.
“For an elderly man who smokes like a chimney, he’s surprisingly fast.”
The other cast members - Jacob Hellman, Ashe Jaafaru, and Matthew Saxe - all play multiple roles around Baldwin and Park to further populate the little French town with a dark secret. Jaafaru, among others, is mother to the missing young girl who implores Baldwin for help. Saxe switches hats and roles quite a lot, whether he’s an unhelpful member of local law enforcement, a jittery unhoused person wandering the streets near the crime scene, or an unsettling taxidermist whose business lives in the shadow of the statue where the children’s bodies are discovered. Hellman channels the voice of the murderer watching the investigation from a distance, but is he in fact the actual murderer? Whether or not he is, how will they catch him in time to rescue the girl?
“We are united by our capacity for pain and sorrow.”
The production uses a couple of rectangles of pipe, one small, one large, and various drapes of colored fabric to create everything from doorways and counters and storage trunks to end tables and statues and moving cars. This economical and representational style keeps the focus where it should be, on the characters and the word play between them. Baldwin’s Last Fire is a whole lot of fun - which sounds a bit weird and perhaps inappropriate to say about a show that focuses on a racist serial killer of children. But Baldwin, whether addressing the audience directly or bantering with Park, is very enjoyable to spend time with, despite the grim circumstances.
“I am black and gay in America. Smoking is the least of my worries.”
The only downside to Baldwin’s Last Fire being a Fringe show is that it often feels like the character of James Baldwin, and the larger concerns he regularly addresses in his written work, particularly race, are bigger than the limited run time can adequately address. This is, of course, a good problem to have, wanting more rather than less of a play. But the need to move things along in a one-act rather than full-length version of this plot sometimes feels like rushing past moments or thoughts that could use a bit more room to breathe, some more time to sit with them, and with Baldwin.
“It might have been the undercooked chicken, or my conscience.”
That said, what we’ve got is a really good Fringe show, worth it for Edmund and Waters’ take on Baldwin alone, but there’s so much more besides to enjoy here. Baldwin’s Last Fire is definitely a show you should get on your Fringe schedule.
4.5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
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