A FACT WHICH SURPRISES MANY READERS of Max Frisch's Biedermann and the Firebugs is that it does, indeed, play well in the theater. Somewhat fragmented and disjointed in the reading, partaking of many of Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt techniques without always sharing his mastery of the dramatic, Frisch's script seems at first glance to be trying to say both too much and too little-to make interesting reading but doubtful theater. The strange problem of the Epilog, added by Frisch a year after the play's initial performance, further complicates our reaction to the play and suggests the playwright's uncertainty as to how the play should end. A careful reading of The Firebugs, however, together with an analysis of its effectiveness in the theater, will lead one to two observations about the play: (1) audiences and readers can and do enjoy it simply as good theater; (2) audiences and readers can and do respond appropriately (i.e., as the playwright might have wished) to the play's thematic content, although many audience members will profess at the same time not to have understood