Quintessence Theatre Group presents Marilyn Campbell-Lowe and Paul Oakley Stovall’s Fire!!

Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges, this staging offers a unique perspective, reconceptualizing the magazine’s poems, essays, short stories, and plays via a dynamic kaleidoscope of prose, music, and dance. (The Quintessence site has more info on the highlighted works.)

Creative liberties

Though primarily based on published historical writings, Campbell-Lowe and Stovall take liberties by reimagining the struggles of keeping Fire!! magazine afloat. The show centers on Thurman (Kaisheem Fowler-Bryant), Fire!!’s writer/editor, who is more than $2000 in debt to the publishing house. To garner funds, Thurman and the other writer/editors decide to perform stories from the publication to rouse prospective benefactors.

The show opens in the lobby of the Sedgwick Theater, a fitting choice since the space’s 1920s Art Deco style complements the play’s focus on the artistic legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. Myrick-Hodges expertly creates an immersive experience, with Thurman and other writer/editors engaging the audience as potential magazine patrons, offering a lively performance bursting with music, movement, and jubilation.

Rhythm and resonance

After this opening, the audience moves to watch the rest of the show in the theater. While the initial lobby scene is strong, pausing the production and moving the audience, who must then situate themselves in the house’s unreserved seats, alters the performance’s momentum. It feels like a 10-minute intermission just a few minutes into the show, though house band members Mike Boone (bass), Adam Faulk (piano), and Robert Henderson (drums) ease the transition with instrumentals that evoke the spirit of the Jazz Age.

Central to the show is the retelling of stories penned by iconic figures from the Harlem Renaissance. A standout is Hurston’s play Color Struck, centering on the breakdown of a relationship over the course of 20 years. Imani Lee Williams's portrayal of Emma is brilliant, bringing a nuanced and complex understanding to a character often reduced to a single archetype. Nicholas Parker also shines as John, her on-again, off-again lover delivering a stellar, subtle performance. Other offerings include Bennett’s wretched story Wedding Day and Fauset’s eerily timely essay Intelligencia.

A Fire!! ensemble

Fire!! boasts a strong ensemble. In Thurman’s tale of Cordelia the Crude, Caroline Strange captivates as Cordelia, a rebellious, young Harlem transplant. Strange embodies the role with a compelling mix of passion and vulnerability. Equally impressive in Hurston’s story Sweat is Ivana Thompson as Delia, a long-suffering woman abused by her husband. Thompson’s rendition of Wade in the Water is hauntingly beautiful. Finally, the chemistry between Charlie Barney and Fowler-Bryant as Alex and Beauty respectively in Nugent’s tale Smoke, Lilies, and Jade is electric, grounding their pivotal scene in a believable and poignant moment between lovers.

Visual and intellectual spectacle

The set design by Thom Weaver is a visual spectacle, conjuring a world that’s aesthetically stunning though somewhat lacking in function. Prominent silhouettes of four dancers and musicians, almost 20 feet high, adorn the corners of the stage. While this scenic design channels the Jazz Age, it obstructs the view of some audience members, especially those closer to the wings of the theater. I struggled to see the scenes upstage, largely centering on Thurman’s concerns about repaying the publisher. Fortunately, the upstage scenes are limited, and most of the show is played closer to the audience.

LeVonne Lindsay’s costumes are spectacular. The women saunter in dazzling dresses adorned with sequins, fringe, and beads, and the men are decked out in crisp tuxes and tails, all perfectly evoking the era. The audio hits some snags (sound design by Nat Merrill and audio engineering by Ava Weintzweig). It’s hard to hear the actors during the ambitious lobby opening, though many of them were less than five feet away from me. The problem compounds when the actors turn away. Though the sound improves once the show moves into the theater, I did struggle to hear some actors at certain points.

Fire!! succeeds on multiple levels. The talented cast and crew unite to create a work of art that’s visually stunning, emotionally resonant, and intellectually stimulating. Despite some minor technical issues, the overall experience is a triumph.