Looking at life in a three way "Mirror"
Arizona Theatre Company's "Fires in the Mirror" at Herberger 
Theatre
**** (out of *****)
Mark S.P. Turvin

	When first conceived and performed in 1993, Anna Deavere 
Smith's "Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other 
Identities" was a solo tour de force investigation of the causes 
and results of the 1991 clash between Hasidic Jews and Blacks 
living in the tension-filled community of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. 
Based on interviews of those involved, intimately and 
peripherally, with the week-long riots, Ms. Smith wove together 
these hundreds of hours of interviews into 23 dramatic monologues, 
which she, alone, brilliantly portrayed. 
	In the guises of such diverse characters as the black 
activist Reverend Al Sharpton, and Rabbi Joseph Spielman, 
spokesperson of the Hasidic Lubavitch community; Carmel Cato, the 
father of the seven year-old Guyanan boy whose death sparked the 
riots, and Norman Rosenbaum, the brother of Yankel Rosenbaum, the 
young rabbinical student whose death was a retaliation for Gavin 
Cato's, Ms. Smith painted an intricate picture of a community 
divided, and attempted not to place blame, but to present both 
sides of a tragic story. This important and innovative play was on 
the short list for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize. 
	Arizona Theatre Company and director Matthew Weiner have 
presented this difficult piece with some modifications to make the 
evening flow smoother and create more dramatic tension. No longer 
a solo piece, this play has been divided amongst three African 
American women who portray the 23 Black and Jewish roles in an 
interwoven way that was impossible for Ms. Smith. The resulting 
creation is a solid presentation of an important piece of 
contemporary theatre, an enjoyable and thought-provoking evening, 
but one that ultimately seems a bit distant from the basic 
emotional message that the talented author/performer brought into 
the original piece. 
	The three women of the ensemble, Angela Bullock, Cheryl 
Rogers, and Laurine Towler, are equally magnificent performers. 
Their portrayals of the many varied characters that make up the 
piece showcased their dramatic talents. Switching from Hasidic 
women mystified about the situation to Black scholars waxing 
poetic and to Moslem activists exploiting the tensions, each 
performer did an excellent job of portraying, with only the barest 
hint of stereotyping, those affected by and affecting the riots. 
They did a commendable acting job in dividing this one-woman show 
amongst themselves.
	Scenic Designer R. Michael Miller created an interesting 
stage picture of an auditorium full of folding chairs, with a 
full-scale representation of the car accident, complete with 
station wagon smashed against an apartment house stoop, on a 
platform above the actors heads; a constant reminder of the start 
of the unrest. An LCD advertising ticker ran the names and 
occupations of the many characters across its screen as they 
spoke, avoiding confusion and giving the setting an even more 
urban feel. Tracy Odishaw's Lighting Design also worked very well, 
effectively creating boxes of light in which the performers were 
separated and faced off. 
	The entire evening was very professionally handled, and Mr. 
Weiner's direction was taut and effective. The choice of taking a 
one-woman show, one that was ultimately a showcase for the talents 
of it's author, and dividing it among the three women--adapting it 
and splicing whole monologues together as counterpoints for 
dramatic effect--was an interesting one. Though it definitely 
added an element of dramatic and emotional tension missing in the 
original, it also made the piece more clinical, somewhat 
undermining the basic values it espoused. 
	Ms. Smith's ultimate indictment is not black and white, but 
ineffectual idealists and intellectuals against strong and simple 
peoples sharing common emotions. By taking the play from the hands 
of one African American woman in a search for an answer, and 
creating an ensemble of equally talented African American women 
(any of whom could probably have handled the show as a solo piece 
on their own) the show hinted at being orchestrated rather than 
impromptu; it seemed staged, no longer a storyteller's creation.
	The play has a lot to say about race relations, a topic of 
utter importance after the O.J. farce and the Rodney King 
outrages. It is done in an effective and professional way that 
makes for an interesting evening of theatre. This adaptation for 
ATC ultimately does not overshadow the basic truth of the piece. 
This is groundbreaking theatre with a great message. It should be 
required viewing for junior high and high school children, and for 
their parents who want to see them have a better future.

Production Details:
Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith
Herberger Theatre, Phoenix
256-6899
February 3-February 17, 1996
$21-$30

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