“Simon Stephens’ adaptation comes at a ripe time” The Stage
“There is a great timeliness to this revival of Max Frisch’s 1953 dark comedy” The Guardian
“a timeless play restaged imaginatively in a way which challenges theatrical norms, Trueman and the Arsonists is clearly an important piece of theatre” All That Dazzles
“professional stellar performance by the cast” North West End UK
“an infectious dollop of flair and commitment” The Telegraph
“when it hits, it hits hard” The Arts Desk
“raucous songs from Chris Thorpe” British Theatre Guide
Fires keep starting. All across the city, arsonists worm their way into respectable people’s homes only to burn them all down. It’s a plague. And we don’t know why.
But Trueman is no fool. He can spot an arsonist from a mile away. These two strangers with troubled pasts who turn up on his doorstep asking for a spare room can’t be arsonists. They’re too polite. Like him. Everybody is far too respectable to act on their suspicions. Even when they fill his attic with barrels of petrol and ask him to help measure the fuse.
In a new version by Simon Stephens, with songs by Chris Thorpe and directed by Abigail Graham, Trueman and the Arsonists explores how moral lethargy can invite evil in – even encouraging you to give it a warm blanket and a nice dinner.
This is an amoral morality play. It’s also got songs in it.