Primary Stages is presenting the New York premiere of this one-person show, written and performed by Sharon Washington (Luce, The Scottsboro Boys), about a little girl who lived in a library. The little girl was Ms. Washington who, for four years, lived in an apartment on the top floor of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library, where her father was the custodian. In the early scenes, during which she describes her life above the library, the tone is light. She vividly impersonates several characters including her mother, a born and bred New Yorker, and her father, who was raised in South Carolina. She has a close relationship with her father until a family crisis arises. She is temporarily sent to live with an aunt and uncle, whom she vividly recreates. Later, she takes a road trip with her father to visit his family and discovers how different a life he had in the South. She continues the story of her subsequent life and how it was shaped by the stories she has shared with us. There are hints of outside events, but she concentrates on the personal. The title refers to the library’s coal furnace with an insatiable appetite for coal, but also represents the other dragons in life that must be fed. Ms. Washington has a very ingratiating personality and is a skilled storyteller and impersonator. The polished production benefits greatly from an attractive stepped set by Tony Ferrieri that incorporates library books and card catalog drawers in the risers. The large multi-paned back windows, lit by Ann G, Wrightson, magically change color as the moment requires. Maria Mileaf (A Body of Water) directs with a light touch. It all added up to a low-key pleasure. Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission.
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