Washington Post - Recommended
"...As theatergoers well know, Smith is a devastating mimic, and her impression of Hutton is up to her remarkable standard: The actress pulls back her upper lip in a way that instantly conjures Hutton's trademark gaptoothed grin. It's telling and it's funny. But you're left to wonder what contribution Hutton is making in a piece that purports to examine some of the most complex policy and moral issues of our time."
Baltimore Sun - Recommended
"...Among the most affecting moments are those spent in the company of Kiersta Kurtz-Burke, a physician at Charity Hospital in New Orleans who recalls how her staff and patients were neglected after Hurricane Katrina; the doctor's nervous habit of toying with the side of her mouth seems to symbolize her distaste at telling the story."
MetroWeekly - Highly Recommended
"...It is, of course, easy to become carried away with superlatives when discussing Deveare Smith and her work, particularly Let Me Down Easy. Better instead to turn full attention to Deavere Smith and the cast of characters she is shepherding to the stage. They will do everything but let you down."
WeLoveDC - Highly Recommended
"...It’s a riveting night that will make you think hard afterwards about your own fears, of how you would face disease and death. A downer? No. Very simply, just their voices, and the truth as they see it."
Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended
"...The monologues are frequently moving, surprising, profound, or all of the above, and if they never quite cohere into a satisfying whole, you get the sense that’s because the artist isn’t done thinking about this and when the show ends, doesn’t want you to be, either. Curiously, bigwigs from the medical profession seem to have the least to offer on the what-it-all-means tip. A doctor from New Orleans’ Charity Hospital, confronted with the reality that Hurricane Katrina finally put to lie her conviction she could give her impoverished patients care as sound as patients in private hospitals get, has the most compelling view from inside. But it’s the public figures working far afield of their usual rhetorical ground—former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, back when she was living with cancer, and TV film critic Joel Siegel, when he was dying of it (they passed on in 2006 and 2007, respectively)—who contribute the moments that feel the most immortal. As Smith moves from one identity to the next, the few props she uses pile up at her feet, a nice visual metaphor that as long as we’ve all got bodies, we’ve all got baggage."
Washington Times - Highly Recommended
"...Written and directed by Smith, a gifted actress and mimic, Let Me Down Easy features characters ranging from super model Lauren Hutton to a nurse who speaks frankly about her naďve belief that individuals would be rescued quickly from a county-run hospital during Hurricane Katrina. The one-hour-and-40 minute show is touching, hilarious and often deeply moving, as Smith deftly sheds personalities and costumes on the newly renovated Kreeger Stage, a perfect setting for this engaging look at views on health insurance, dying and death."
Washington Blade - Somewhat Recommended
"...After the 20 vivid tales completely unfold, Smith seems to intentionally leave us with a discouraging, sometimes hopeful, but ultimately unfinished picture of life, death and health care in America."
The Georgetowner - Recommended
"...Smith, an impressively talented, cogent and curious, woman functions as playwright, actress, writer and interviewer for “Let Me Down Easy,” a project somewhat similar to others she is well know for. There was “Fires in the Mirror,” which examined the aftermath of a race riot in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and “Twilight: Los Angeles,” which focused on the devastating and violent 1992 riots in Los Angeles. But while these previous works also saw Smith portraying dozens of real people alone on stage with remarkable dexterity and even-handedness, they were focused on specific, dramatic and explosive events. “Let Me Down Easy” is much broader in its scope and approach."
Catholic Herald - Highly Recommended
"...Due to Smith’s superb acting and astute eye for narrative, “Let Me Down Easy” also reminds us that life on earth is fragile, finite, complex and, indeed, precious."
Curtain Up - Highly Recommended
"...It should be noted that Riccardo Hernandez's set has non -distracting white furniture and three ceiling to floor mirrors --A Chorus Line redux or reflections of the audience that seem to be saying,"listen, buddy, this could be you." Ms. Smith wears a no-nonsense white shirt and navy pin-striped pants. Although it is the words that carry Let Me Down Easy, the ending, however, is as visually dramatic as it is verbally definitive. It will not leave you laughing. It will leave you thinking. "
Washington Informer - Highly Recommended
"...Let Me Down Easy is a thought-provoking work. The answers provided by each personality are insightful and audiences will see that they share their feelings and concerns about death and dying, life and living. "
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
Anna Deavere Smith glides in and out of personas with the ease of just-cut hair slipping to the barber’s floor. Her quicksilver qualities and keen listening skills are beautifully utilized in the one-woman show Let Me Down Easy, a meditation on the body—how we push it, honor it, dismiss it, and prepare it for death.
