“One of the best things to come out of COVID” is not a phrase you hear too often. Still, when it comes to developing new plays, COVID — and the budget constraints it forced theaters to confront — led many venues to adopt the prudent philosophy that, when it comes to programming, less is som etimes more.  Such is the case for Signature Theatre’s latest production, In Clay, a 90-minute, one-act, one-woman jewelbox of a production, directed by Kimberly Senior, that is as compact as it is beautiful.  Alex Finke as Marie-Berthe Cazin in ‘In Clay’ at Signature Theatre. Photo by DJ Corey Photography. The In Clay writing team consists of two British up-and-comers, book writer Rebecca Simmonds and composer Jack Miles. The duo, who met via Zoom during COVID and were unable to work in person for six months, collaborated on the lyrics, which form the bedrock of a story that is, at turns, delightful, insightful, and engrossing. In Clay takes as its subject the mostly unknown story of a real-life ceramicist, Marie-Berthe Cazin, whose scant, two-paragraph Wikipedia entry tells us only that she studied under a more famous male ceramicist and then married that artist’s son, who is thought to have taken credit for many of Marie’s own works.  Miles and Simmonds flesh out these sparse biographical details to create a portrait of Cazin as the embodiment of Parisian fin-de-siècle artistry, an exuberant, striving young artist determined to make her mark while grappling with personal and professional setbacks. Alex Finke brings Cazin to life in an effervescent performance that holds your attention from note one. Being the lone storyteller on a stage is a heavy lift, and In Clay would suffer from showcasing the wrong performer in the role of Cazin. Thankfully, Finke, whose previous credits include Broadway stints in Come From Away and Les Misérables, has both the vocal chops and the sizzling star power to enthral. With touches as small as the lift of an eyebrow, and as bold as a tune belted from the top of her work desk, Finke captivates. (Sarah Anne Sillers, a DMV-based performer whose work I love, is Finke’s understudy, and I would jump at the chance to see her in this role as well.) Although In Clay is technically a one-woman show, Finke is joined onstage by a quartet of musicians playing a luscious score inspired by Gypsy Jazz. This early-20th-century French sound combined American jazz and swing with European folk influences (think Django Reinhardt, think Stéphane Grappelli: very le jazz hot). The show’s 14 original songs allow Finke to showcase her Edith Piaf-like vibrato, while ensconcing us in yet another layer of Parisian artistry. Music director/pianist Matt Herbert contributed to the show’s music, arrangements, and orchestrations. The onstage band (the quartet is completed by violinist Madalyn Navis, upright bass player Joanna Smith, and guitarist Jonny Marques) imparts an intimate feel of that special time when Paris was an oasis for art of all types. (Jazz Manouche wasn’t really a staple of French culture until the 1930s, well after the events of In Clay, but hey, the combination of jazzy swing tunes and intrepid female ceramicist really works, so why quibble.) The story plays out in one location, the art studio where Cazin studied and lived from the late 1800s through the end of World War I. Scenic designer Tony Cisek tapped into the era’s ethos to create a gorgeous art studio featuring exposed beams, whitewashed wood, and a farmhouse sink that would be a showpiece in any kitchen. Every attention has been made to detail. Shelves of pottery and stacks of paintings and easels speak to the chaos and order that coexist in the mind of an artist grappling with their craft.  And the final star of this show is the lighting design. Natural light is paramount for any artist when it comes to choosing the perfect studio, and In Clay lighting designer Colin K. Bills understood that. The set’s large skylights matched the play’s mood as we cycled through day and night and joy and pain.  In short, In Clay is a triumph of intention and execution. Every technical element is finely calibrated, every collaborator is working at the top of their game, and the result is a piece of theater that feels both intimate and quietly expansive. Marie-Berthe Cazin’s story is not presented because she was singular among artists or exceptional among women, but precisely because she was not. Her story echoes those of countless women before and since — artists whose good work and good intentions were too often eclipsed by men who felt entitled to claim them. In Clay gives Cazin something she was long denied: authorship, visibility, and a stage worthy of her voice. Running Time: 100 minutes with no intermission. In Clay plays through February 1, 2025, in the ARK Theatre at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA. Tickets ($47–$100) are available online, by calling the box office at 703.820.9771, or through TodayTix. The digital program is online here. Buy Tickets Discount Tickets SEE ALSO:Signature Theatre announces cast and creatives for ‘In Clay’ (news story, November 20, 2025) The post Effervescent one-woman artistry creates ‘In Clay’ at Signature Theatre appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less