Life and Death at Berkeley Rep

Anna Deavere Smith is almost a national treasure. A few more TV roles like on Nurse Jackie or West Wing, plus solo shows like "Let Me Down Easy," that Plottie and Ducknik saw last night, and she will become a household word.

Plot and Duck see a lot of solo shows, seeing as Saint Plotniko is the capital of one-man or one-woman performance. All of them are good, some are really good and some are terrific. Anna Deavere Smith has been doing this longer than anyone else and her craft is second to none. But she doesn't make you laugh yourself silly, like Ann Randolph, or become involved in the lives of the recurring characters, like Dan Hoyle does, and she doesn't take you to exotic places like Jeff Greenwald, and she doesn't juggle like Sara Felder.

What she does is make you think, and think hard. She tackles really tough subjects -- "Let Me Down Easy" is about life and death, unless it's about the health care system, or motivation. Or something else.

You can read The San Franciso Theater Blog review of "Let Me Down Easy" here.