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Searching For The Man Behind The Myth

Image of Roger Guenveur Smith in his solo show, "Rodney King"
Patti McGuire

Rodney King gained overnight notoriety when videos surfaced of him being violently beaten by Los Angeles police officers. 

The incident sparked the 1992 LA Riots and he became both a national symbol for police brutality and a subject of constant media attention and public scrutiny. But when Rodney King was found dead in a swimming pool in 2012, writer and performer Roger Guenveur Smith wanted to take a deeper look at his life and story. Smith created a one-man show that examines the man behind the myth.

Playmakers Repertory Company presents regional premieres of the show beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m. Host Frank Stasio previews the show in studio with actor/solo performer Roger Guenveur Smith.

Here's an excerpt from the show:

Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.