“Did You Forget That It’s an Island?”

In 1911, a man stands on a boat docking in New York and is amazed by what he finds. As his fellow immigrants start to dream of what awaits them, the man takes a photo. The theater flashes with light and we’re reminded that we are watching a moment in time that will soon turn tragic. Solitary Light, a new musical at Axis Theatre Company, depicts the workers of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a factory that famously suffered through a fire and killed the majority of its employees due to horrible working conditions. If this sounds like an event that might be hard to transfer to music, it is—and yet this musical finds hope in the darkness. As part of Theater: Village, a festival that consists of several new works presented by theaters of the West Village, Solitary Light adds a buzz to the festival’s theme of American diversity. The production is beautiful and strong, feeling fresh and exciting for the majority of its runtime. The show seems like it could be longer, it doesn’t have enough time to build its characters fully, and it cuts off several subplots in favor of rushing to the fire. But the strengths of the work overpower the flaws.