A Small Fire

Adam Bock’s metaphorical-literalist drama is—exactly—the story of a tough woman (Michele Pawk) who must lose her senses to learn how to feel. Smell goes first, then taste, and as she weakens, she and her husband (Reed Birney) begin to acquire a touching intimacy. Director Trip Cullman helps keep Bock's compound of parabolic and quotidian elements from dissolving into preciousness. Beautifully acted, this distinctive, affecting play has a steady burn that grows into palpable heat, and shoots sparks that smolder in your head days later.—Adam Feldman