American Playhouse: Fires In The Mirror

Actress/playwright Anna Deveare Smith delivers a searing performance, or more accurately, performances--since she portrays nearly 30 different characters--in this compelling one-woman play. Based on interviews conducted by Smith in the wake of the tragic events in August, 1991 in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, NY, where a Black child was struck and killed by a Hasidic Jewish driver, and a young Hasidic scholar was murdered by Black youths hours later, Fires in the Mirror powerfully conveys the multifaceted nature of racism and uneasy race relations in America. As Smith incredibly plays a wide range of Black and Jewish characters, men and women, young and old, we hear the real language of hatred and fear, confusion and ignorance, posturing and sorrow. Intercut with the monologues are scenes from the riots that ripped through the Crown Heights community during the latter part of August, 1991. Among Smith's extraordinarily diverse roles are the Reverend Al Sharpton (the controversial media figure) talking about his hairstyle, Berkeley professor Angela Davis commenting on the shifting meaning of the word "race," and Norman Rosenbaum, brother of the murdered Hasidic scholar. And there are some terrible, terrible things said on both sides, most often by reverends it seems, whose religious concerns are apparently secondary to their personal emotions. A disturbing, heartbreaking, and sadly human drama, Fires in the Mirror underscores the frustration of our botched race relations in America. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (See THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: GOIN' BACK TO T-TOWN for availability.)