Reviewed by Judy Richter
Anna Deavere Smith's "Let Me Down Easy" is both a tribute to the
indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity and an indictment of the
disparities of our health care system. As she did with her previous one-woman
shows, "Fires in the Mirror" and "Twilight: Los Angeles," Smith interviewed
hundreds of people, then distilled the words of 20 to create this 140-minute,
intermissionless play. She presents their comments verbatim and recreates their
accents and manners of speaking, whether male, female, black, white, young or
old.
She
starts with a black minister, the Rev. James H. Cone, who says the title could refer
to how a person might hope his or her lover would break up, but then goes on to
say that it could refer to the way that most people would prefer to die.
Although his didactic manner is off-putting, his comments do pave the way for
what's ahead. Among the more interesting interviewees is bicyclist Lance
Armstrong, who
talks about his successful battle against cancer. He doesn't mention the doping
changes that have been raised against him, but the following interviewee, Sally
Jenkins,
Washington Post sports columnist, discusses doping and elite athletes. She
makes some salient points, noting that they'll do almost anything to give their
bodies a competitive edge. She also says that when they finally must leave
their sport, it's like a kind of death -- the death of an identity and way of
life.
Musicologist
Susan Youens
of the University of Notre Dame talks about how Franz Schubert's knowledge that he would die an
early death from syphilis influenced his latter compositions. Then there are
the feisty Ann Richards, former governor of Texas, and film critic Joel Siegel, who both talk about their
ultimately unsuccessful battles against cancer. Richards points out that she
was fortunate to have topnotch care. Likewise, a rodeo rider, critically
injured by a bull, says he was very lucky that he happened to be taken to a
military hospital, where he lost only half rather than an entire kidney and
paid only $1,200 total for his care. The physical and financial outcome would
have been far different if he had been taken to a civilian hospital.
It's
heart-breaking to hear a nurse from a New Orleans charity hospital describe how
the staff and patients were virtually abandoned by the government in the wake
of Hurricane Katrina long after patients in more affluent areas were rescued.
Likewise, a nurse in South Africa describes how a brave little girl dies of
AIDS.
The
emerging bottom line is this: If you happen to have good health insurance or if
you are an "important" person, you're likely to receive better care
than people who aren't so fortunate. Still, it doesn't matter if you're rich or
poor, you still have to confront the death of loved ones and finally your own.
It's the ultimate completion of a journey that begins at birth.
Directed
by Leonard Foglia in
this Second Stage Theatre production at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Smith is nothing short of
brilliant in the way that she creates vivid portraits of the people she talked
to. She also develops their stories well, creating a dramatic arc that ends
with the tranquility of a Buddhist monk.
Ringed
by five angled mirrors and furnished with a sofa, coffee table and conference
table with three chairs, the set is by Riccardo Hernandez. Ann Hould-Ward's costume design starts with the
barefoot Smith simply clad in black pants and a white shirt. She adds various
accessories such as jackets and hats as she goes, then drops them on the stage.
The lighting is by Dan Ozminkowski (based on a design by Peggy Eisenhower and Jules Fisher) with sound by Ryan Rumery and original musical elements by Joshua
Redman.
Berkeley
Rep has presented both of Smith's previous works, so many patrons knew they
were in for a memorable experience -- so much so that the show was extended for
two weeks even before opening night.