Anna Deavere Smith Channels 20 Fascinating Folks in Let Me Down Easy

After an absence from the New York stage of almost 10 years—including a recent, hilarious detour to TV as a hospital honcho in Nurse Jackie—the fabulous Anna Deavere Smith is back with a new solo show, Let Me Down Easy. Actually, we almost hate to call it “solo,” since Smith portrays a total of 20 real people in a series of monologues about life, death and health care in America. From Lance Armstrong and Eve Ensler to a variety of doctors, patients and experts, Smith uses her uncanny ability to channel the speech and mannerisms of interviewees to weave a fascinating, thought-provoking evening. Let Me Down Easy opened on October 7 at Second Stage, with a celebration following downtown at Metropolitan Home’s Showtime House. As always, Broadway.com was on hand to capture all the festivities.