Sunday, December 2, 2012

Simply the Best

We just finished watching Anna Deveare Smith in "Let Me Down Easy." on PBS's Great Performances.  It is by far the best one-woman show I have ever seen. Maybe the best show period, bar none. This is a link to it.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/let-me-down-easy/watch-the-full-program/1236/

This is their description of the show

Smith, through her chameleon-like virtuosity, creates an indelible gallery of portraits, from a rodeo bull rider to a prizefighter to a New Orleans doctor during Hurricane Katrina, as well as boldface names like former Texas Governor Ann Richards, legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong, network film critic Joel Siegel, and supermodel Lauren Hutton. She performs 19 characters in the course of an hour and thirty five minutes. Their stories are alternately humorous and heart-wrenching, and often a blend of both. Building upon each other with hypnotic force, her subjects recount personal encounters with the frailty of the human body, ranging from a mere brush with mortality, coping with an uncertain future in today’s medical establishment, to confronting an end of life transition. The testimony of health care professionals adds further texture to a vivid portrayal of the cultural and societal attitudes to matters of health.

I don' know how to convey how moving this is. It is 1 1/2 hours but can be watched in segments....she changes characters quite often. If you can, just start it and watch a few minutes. You will be amazed. Promise.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.