The Day the Sky Turned Black

On Black Saturday, the worst natural disaster in Australia's history, people died suddenly in their cars just from the heat. "They weren't charred or anything," one witness recalls in "The Day The Sky Turned Black," a solo show written and performed by Ali Kennedy Scott.

The actor impersonates five people she interviewed who had survived the freakishly catastrophic brushfires that occurred on Feb. 7, 2009. Scott slips on a baseball cap or a shawl in one of five spots on stage and alternately plays a journalist, a teacher, an elderly woman who loses her husband, a 6-year-old boy, and a mother of an arsonist, telling of their experiences that day and afterward.

Those of us who lived through Sept. 11 can identify with the shocking sense of loss and touching talk of community. But while there are some striking moments, theatergoers (especially those who've seen Anna Deavere Smith) might be expecting deeper, more distinct portrayals.
 
Presented by AKS Productions as part of the New York International Fringe Festival at the IATI Theater, 64 E. Fourth St, NYC. Aug. 14–28. Remaining performances: Wed., Aug. 24, 9:15 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 27, 2 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 28, 4:45 p.m. (866) 468-7619 or www.fringenyc.org.