Reviews

From the Fire

Editorial Staff

Half past ten in the morning is a tough slot for a show about death and social reform, however, the youngsters of Triangle Productions are in fine voice and tell their tragic tale with sensitivity and heart.

The story centres on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 in which 146 immigrant girls died trying to flee to the safety of the New York streets below.

The incident followed a strike the year before, known as the uprising of 20,000 (the first significant strike by women), and the combination of the two events galvanise the progressive movement and women’s suffrage.

The ensemble work of the cast of 14 is impressive and it seems harsh to pick out performers from the crowd but Grace McLean (Rose), Roe Hartrampf (Jake), Nicole Weiss (Sadie), Sam Nelson Harris (Fenster) and Savannah Frazier (Alta) really stand out.

Simple staging and the intelligent use of film combine to make this a musical worth getting out of bed to see.

– Julie McNicholls