Jon Robin Baitz

The Substance of Fire Jon Robin Baitz

Full Length, Drama

Characters: 3 male, 2 female

2 Interior Sets

Isaac Geldhart, the imperious scion of a family owned publishing house, is under siege. A takeover is being engineered by his son Aaron, who sees the firm's profitability steadily declining and wants to publish a trashy novel to bring in the bucks. Isaac plans to go on publishing scholarly works such as a multi volume history of Nazi medical experiments. Aaron has the necessary yen from Japanese backers but he needs the votes of his brother and sister. Reluctantly, they side against the old man. The second act takes place in the library of Isaac's townhouse a few years after his forced retirement. He has become so irascible and eccentric that his children have asked the court to judge his competence. Isaac, who survived the Holocaust and transcended the death of his wife to build an important publishing company from scratch, faces his greatest challenge: persuading the psychiatric social worker that he is sane.

"A deeply compassionate play." N. Y. Times

"A remarkably intelligent drama." N. Y. Newsday.