All four roles in Lanford Wilson's taut chamber piece have fascinating contours. For me, there's a fine spontaneity elevating this drama above the playwright's other fare. But for Burn This to work overwhelmingly, the chemistry between Anna and Pale—radical opposites who attract—must convincingly combust. She's a dancer mourning the death of her gay roommate. He's the roommate's vulgar lookalike brother, repulsed by his brother's lifestyle—and wracked with guilt as a result. Elisabeth Shue brought all her screen magic to Union Square Theatre intact as Anna. The profile. The smile. The allure. But as successfully as Shue replaced Catherine Keener, who opened in this revival, Peter Sarsgaard never recaptured the charisma of his predecessor, Edward Norton. So Wilson's evocative title became unintentionally self-descriptive. The production crash-burned and closed on December 29, 2002 a week earlier than previously announced.
