Twilight: Los Angeles

I happened to catch this on PBS this evening and was totally transfixed. I understand the original Broadway production rolled out the same season as the second Angels in America and so seems to have been overshadowed awards-wise, but still was wondering if anyone caught this in New York (or L.A. before it). I thought Anna Deavere Smith was sensational, at least in this television adaptation, and of course I couldn't help feeling how relevant it all seemed in today's climate. I also wonder how this might be pulled off with a different actress (or actor) in the roles...

I've actually seen it done with an ensemble of actors, much like The Laramie Project. I think it loses something in the beauty of watching the same person transforming again and again, but it gains something in the feeling of community created on stage.

Yes, the piece holds an eerie resemblance to events happening today, and yes it can be quite captivating, however I would just like to point out that the PBS version runs around 90 minutes, whereas the play runs around two and a half hours, at least in the last production I saw. I think it works better in the condensed form. It's a lot to take in and it doesn't have all that many moments of light.