Review: Fire Witch by Melanie Gall

Synopsis: New York’s past holds millions of forgotten stories, but few are as fascinating as the tale of Kate Claxton, the “Fire Witch.” A central figure of American theater in New York’s Gilded Age, she spent her life challenging conventions and flouting expectations. Kate was one of the most famous actors in America, and for over three decades and more than five thousand performances she held theatergoers in her thrall through her portrayal of a single dramatic Louise, the sixteen-year-old blind heroine of the French melodrama The Two Orphans.

Despite her supernatural nickname, Kate was no witch. But after the tragic events of December 5, 1876, when she stood onstage amid the panic and flames as the Brooklyn Theatre burned around her, Kate became inseparably connected with the disaster. This inferno, along with multiple subsequent blazes that occurred in hotels and theaters where Kate was present, branded her as “Fire Witch” and “Fire Fiend,” labels that followed her for the rest of her days.

Over a hundred and fifty years later, Kate’s life—and the fire that destroyed Brooklyn’s most opulent playhouse—have been almost completely forgotten. But the inferno is an integral part of New York’s history, and its heroine was a singular woman whose strength and determination carried her through tragedy and scandal to shine as one of the brightest stars of the late nineteenth century.

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Melanie Gall provides the reader with entertaining an insight into the Gilded Age Theatre with a focus on Kate Claxton who was given the name of the "Fire Witch" due to her numerous close calls with fires in both the theatres she was performing in and hotels where she was staying.

Gall presents Claxton as a woman who was beloved for her stage roles, especially that of Louise in "The Two Orphans" whilst judged rather harshly for her numerous personal scandals. Claxton was a respected business woman, with a score of personal dramas and tragedies, who was scorned for her inability to accept the limitations of her sex.

Her most notable role was one adopted at a time of disaster - when the Brooklyn Theatre was devastated by fire and over 275 people perished.  Claxton stood on stage, trying to calm the audience and prevent a panic, whilst the fire raged around her. She was one of the last to leave and from this event, Claxton began to construct her own narrative, which Gall explores.

Whilst the Gilded Age and Theatre history in general is not my particular genre, I found this biography rather rewarding on a number of levels. It re-introduced us to Kate Claxton: a notable actress of her era, a savvy business woman, a woman tainted by scandal and a victim of poor personal choices. In other words, a woman who was far from a supernatural being but one most evidently human.