A Mile in My Shoes

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Hudson Backstage Theatre
Through December 9

In A Mile in My Shoes, writer and solo performer Kathryn Taylor Smith dramatizes the crisis in homelessness by portraying various homeless people and some of the community figures who interact with them. The production has heart and a message that needs to be heard, but its staging requires some finessing for it to play to its potential.

Smith’s pivotal character is a homeless woman named Ester, a generous and talkative eccentric who collects shoes from here, there and everywhere, and passes them out to whomever might be in need. Some of these shoes carry a story; they’ve been worn by a gay teenager, a swaggering pimp, a holy roller. Ester herself has special gifts; for example, she possesses second sight, the ability to see what goes on beneath a person’s exterior. She’s politically aware, and her tour of the streets takes in a meeting of upright citizens afflicted with the “not-in-my-backyard” syndrome — a common sentiment that makes housing the homeless so frustratingly problematic.

Some of Smith’s other characters include a terrified woman on the run from her abusive husband, a transgender youth who meets a tragic end, and a kind police officer and the mentally unstable woman he’s trying to protect. The production’s most moving moment is her enactment of a speech given by a 17-year-old homeless adolescent who became her class valedictorian and also won an essay contest sponsored by Harvard (wonderful true story!).

Directed by Zadia Ife, Smith’s presentation is swift-paced and energetic, but her narrative meanders and the distinction among the multiple characters needs to be refined. One thing I missed were costume changes — perhaps merely a different hat or wig or scarf for each transition.  Ester is dressed in a green headscarf and tatty clothing and sports a blackened face and teeth. While these elements are appropriate for this particular character, they were distracting when the actor was portraying someone else.

The show would also benefit from a more sophisticated lighting scheme. Unfortunately, this particular venue has limited tech resources, so the play was not always best lit to underscore changes or nuance, a circumstance in this case beyond the control of the director and lighting designer (Andrew Schmedake). Also, a technical snafu on the afternoon I attended meant the show went on without designer Matt Ritchey’s accompanying video projections that I assume provided context for this socially relevant piece.

Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Dec. 9. www.Plays411.com/mileinmyshoes. Running time: 85 minutes with no intermission.