'Fahrenheit 451' Heats Up the Bay Street Stage

As we, the denizens of the 21st century, sit at the cusp of the 250th anniversary of the founding of these United States, it’s hard to make the case that this country is living up to the lofty ideals put forth by the Founding Fathers. That’s because here in 2025, raids by masked agents, dramatic cuts to food and health care programs, and the wide acceptance of bullying have become our daily reality.

Which is why, more than ever, artistic outlets are needed to help put it all in perspective — even if they serve to illustrate that it could be a whole lot worse.

To that end, Bay Street Theater is offering a marvelously dystopian vision of society in “Fahrenheit 451,” a play based on Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel of the same name. Directed by Stephen Hamilton (a Bay Street founder) this deftly produced play is offered under the auspices of the theater’s Literature Live! program, which takes classic novels out of the classroom and brings them to life on stage for school groups as well as public audiences.

“Fahrenheit 451” may be a book that’s read by high school students, but this show is by no means child’s play. Adult audiences will find a great deal of societal mirrors and ironies in this moving production. It’s also delightfully ironic that “Fahrenheit 451,” which is about a dystopian nightmare in which books are banned and independent thought is discouraged, would be presented under the banner of a literary initiative focused on bringing great novels to life through theater.

But then again, we’re living in an era of great contradiction, aren’t we?

As the stage version of “Fahrenheit 451” comes to life, fireman Guy Montag (John Kroft), is making his way home after a long night shift. In his world, rather than extinguishing blazes, fire companies like Montag’s are the authoritarian enforcers who set them whenever and wherever books are found.

But Montag has his doubts about the morality of his profession, and when he encounters his new neighbor, Clarisse (Anna Francesca Schiavoni), out for an early morning walk, she senses he does too. A free and confident young woman with boundless curiosity about the world, the chatty and delightful Clarisse questions everything and can read Montag like an open book (pun intended). She hints of a place beyond the city limits where people like her (and, she suspects, Montag) can live happily among kindred souls. She also speaks of the wisdom of her grandfather, Professor Faber (Matthew Conlon), a former university instructor with deep, but now forbidden, knowledge of the written word who will soon figure prominently in Montag’s life.

Sensing that Clarisse might see too much in him, Montag grows uncomfortable with the conversation and quickly rushes home to his wife, Mildred (Daniela Mastropietro), only to discover that she is being revived by medics after overdosing on sleeping pills. Mildred, a strict regime rule follower, is addicted not only to narcotics, but also the endless and easily digestible bits of mindless drivel that are delivered to her (and every other citizen) through video screens built into the walls of homes. She can’t be bothered to take notice of Montag’s doubts and certainly does not share his curiosity about the power of knowledge or the allure of books.

Down at the firehouse, it’s largely the same story with Montag’s co-workers Holder (Nicole Marie Hunt) and Black (Dan Pavacic) toeing the line and accepting their roles as the setters of fires. But we sense Montag’s commander, William Beatty (J. Stephen Brantley), is another matter altogether. The fire crew soon gets an automated alarm summoning them to a home where a large stash of books has been reported. The crew arrives to find Mrs. Hudson (Hunt) protecting her collection and refusing to leave the premises. Before her demise, however, she hands Montag and Beatty one book each from her collection, which, as Beatty explains, Montag may accept as a fireman, as long as he never reads it.

We soon realize that Beatty once questioned the suppression of knowledge and the burning of books, as Montag is doing now. But Beatty has since recanted and retuned to the fold, which in many ways makes him Montag’s biggest enemy and the most dangerous character in the play — almost.

This Bay Street cast does an excellent job of conveying the high stakes and authoritarian fear in this play, and particularly powerful is Kroft as the questioning Montag. A quiet soul with great empathy, he embodies the characteristics of a moral man pushing back at the edges of oppression the only way he knows how. But his passionate nature at times risks exposing him to serious trouble. Similarly, as Clarisse, Schiavoni is the light that can be found within during troubled times, and her optimistic presence on the stage represents the hope that resistance feeds.

On the other end of the spectrum, Brantley’s powerful portrayal of Beatty is tinged with explosive and threatening menace. But the most terrifying character in the play is one that doesn’t actually exist.

The Hound, as it’s called, is a murderous mechanical canine designed by Beatty that can hunt down humanoids attempting to escape the authorities. It tracks prey through the use of a genetic imprint computer card inserted in its muzzle. Also residing in the Hound’s proboscis is a needle that injects Novocaine to stop someone from running, or a more lethal drug, which stops everything.

Named by Beatty as Baskerville 9, a reference to the ruthless canine in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (which he has obviously read), we never see the Hound on stage. Instead, we sense it in the most ominous and eerie way possible.

Credit scenic and projection designer Michael Billings for not only coming up with the Hound’s menacing stage presence, but also a set that has the feel of “The Hunger Games.” Pared down with minimal physical objects, a series of screens running across the entire back wall of the stage cleverly defines the various scenes, from the midcentury modern living room of Guy and Mildred Montag and the stark industrial firehouse, to the acres of books in Mrs. Hunt’s house, or the endless video offerings that keep things light and minds away from deep thought. Vintage test patterns, old newscasts and long ago TV weather forecasts offer an homage to “Brazil” through the perfection of the outdated future.

It all adds up to a powerful piece of theater that is staggeringly prescient and disturbingly spot on in its commentary on the dumbing down of America. This play makes the case that societies frequently censor themselves long before the governments step in with crackdowns of their own.

It’s a stark message that bears repeating again and again — and it’s one that has the potential to wake audiences from their stupor. But only if they are truly ready to see.

Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” runs through November 30 at Bay Street Theater. Additional cast includes Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane and crew David Brandenburg (sound designer), Yuka Silvera (costume designer), Garett Pembrook (lighting designer) and Rick Sordelet (fight director). For tickets visit baystreet.org or call the box office at 631-725-9500. Bay Street Theater is on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.