MUSE of FIRE

On June 14th the St. Lawrence had the pleasure of presenting a unique, heartfelt, dynamic one-man play called MUSE of FIRE. When David Katz came out on the stage, sitting in silhouette, seemingly pondering each of the pictures that flashed from the projector behind him, I was skeptical. Most one-man-plays I’ve seen are obligatorily tongue-in-cheek, or so ridiculously pretentious that it seems like a farce. A very precise balance of seriousness and humor are important in creating a successful story all portrayed by one individual. David artfully pushed this obstacle aside and leapt into a gripping, autobiographical story about a musical sorcerer and what it took to become his apprentice. We met several distinct characters- David himself, his mentor Charles Bruck, and a number of his fellow students. Fully immersed in the story, I was taken completely off-guard by its hard-hitting, emotional, and tragic climax. This was a most excellent masterpiece and I encourage anyone to look up where David Katz will be next.