The Substance of Fire Archives

The Substance of Fire

Terrence McNally (1938–2020): Theater Changes Hearts

October 31, 2026

Terrence McNally, the four-time Tony-winning playwright of Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime, died March 24, 2020, at 81. Looking back at 16 TheaterScene.net reviews and columns, from Mothers and Sons to Lincoln Center Theater's Ragtime. [more]

Anna Louizos Tribute

October 26, 2026

Alt Text: ``` Scenic designer Anna Louizos in a white shirt, with her name and the dates June 24, 1957 – August 25, 2026

Anna Louizos, the three-time Tony-nominated scenic designer behind Avenue Q, In the Heights and School of Rock, died August 25 at 69. TheaterScene's critics reviewed her work 19 times, from Avenue Q's pop-open townhouses to Joy at the Laura Pels last summer. [more]

The Substance of Fire

May 5, 2014

Time has caught up with Jon Robin Baitz’s 1991 play and bankrupting one’s company over issues of integrity no longer seems quite admirable. Jon Robin Baitz writes literate, thoughtful plays like his 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Other Desert Cities. However, like the revival last fall of his earliest play The Film Society showed, plays may date badly or their attitudes become artifacts of another generation. [more]