Thank you NetGalley and Lyons Press for the ARC of Melanie Gall’s “Fire Witch,” a biography of the actress Kate Claxton.
I was not familiar with Kate Claxton or the Brooklyn Theatre inferno prior to this book. The synopsis caught my attention, and I wanted to know if, like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the tragedy could have been averted. Short answer, yes. Was Kate Claxton involved with the theatre fire? No, other than nearly being trapped in the building. Once this was established, I really wanted to know how she wound up with the unfortunate moniker “Fire Witch.”
Gall’s biography tells the story of an ambitious young woman from a well-off family that falls in love with the theatre at a young age. Despite her family’s misgivings, Kate pursues a career in the theatre, putting in the work to make a name for herself, ultimately landing a decades-long starring role in the beloved play “The Two Orphans.” It is through absolute bad luck that Kate Claxton finds herself in close proximity to several other fires in public spaces, and the Victorians, who adored tragedy and superstition, dubbed her “The Fire Witch.”
“Fire Witch” is less about the Brooklyn Theatre fire and more about Kate’s life as a whole. Kate painted herself as a heroine of the theatre fire, and she does deserve credit for her cool headedness and bravery. She was idolized as a star, but when her messy personal life spilled into the press, she was mercilessly ridiculed. (No one turns on you faster than the Victorian-era public.) Kate Claxton’s life was a series of beginnings much like the scenes in the plays she starred in and produced. She was an actress, a director, a theatre-owner, a troupe manager, and a mother who deeply loved her child. She is a fascinating example of an independent nineteenth-century woman who refused to let tragedy and bad luck keep her from her achieving her goals.
“Fire Witch” by Melanie Gall will be released on October 6, 2026.
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