Review: UMKC Conservatory’s “The Arsonists” is a slow burn on Spencer Stage

  Setting the stage as a 1950s television show with a live studio audience, “The Arsonists” attempts to deliver a timely message of the “everyman”, and how ignorance can quickly become an inferno. 

  The story follows Gottlieb Biedermann, a middle-class citizen played by Sam Ragone, who is in his second year at the Conservatory

  His wife, Babette, is played by Clara Bay, a third-year theatre major. 

  They soon find themselves accommodating homeless men in their attic.

  With themes of manipulation, gaslighting and pride, the production hinges on passivity, duty, and the question of whether goodwill is always a byproduct of good-naturedness.

 The play was originally written as a radio play in the 1950s by Swiss playwright, novelist, and architect Max Frisch, translated by Alistair Beaton, and later adapted as a full-stage production.

  Many believe the play was written as a subtle rebuke of German passivity in the rise of the Third Reich and the devastation of humanity as a result.

  “I feel with Mr. Biedermann, there was ignorance with the signs and the people he invited into his house,” said sophomore Maeve Dee, an elementary education major. 

  While the story itself attempts to deliver a thought-provoking narrative, part of it feels lost amid the set’s flashing banner, laugh track and seemingly interruptive scene markers that ironically reinforce the societal disconnect the play attempts to highlight.

  Whether or not this was intentional or a directorial vision oversight, some audience members still enjoyed the production and encouraged others to attend.

  “It’s great that they’re giving undergrads the opportunity to perform on the Spencer Stage, which never happened when I was here,” UMKC 2019 alum Joshua Woodall said. “I think it is timely. Timely without being too on the nose. You should definitely come out and support your fellow students.”

Sam Yemm, a sophomore and prop coordinator, agreed the show’s premise is timely, reflecting on the complacency of many in the nation.

  “It’s been great working with everybody,” Yemm said. “I think we came into it with a strong vision of what we wanted. I’m pretty proud of what we delivered, especially from a production standpoint, and think the actors did great with it.”

  Director Darren Sextro noted in the program, “This is not a mere story about villains who set destructive fires. It is about the people who allow that to happen.”

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