Journalist Molly Ivins lost her battle with breast cancer in 2007, but her rebellious spunk and fiery political opinions come to life in actress Kathleen Turner’s portrayal of the late Texan columnist in “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins.”
Set in an empty newsroom, the one-act play takes the form of a witty stream of consciousness confessional filled with a hefty dose of many of Ivins’ own quoted words.
Turner ““ a two-time Tony and Oscar nominee ““ embodies a raspy-voiced, aged Ivins in the nearly one-woman show (actor Matthew Van Oss makes a handful of appearances as a silent newsroom assistant).
Ivins casually addresses her audience with feet kicked up in red cowboy boots on an old desk. And while her eyes are closed, she assuredly declares that this is exactly what writing looks like ““ 75 percent thinking, 15 percent typing and 10 percent caffeine.
The play pieces together varied threads of her thinking ““ tangents that are an elaborate diversion from her writing task at hand, a column dedicated to her strict father, who she prefers to call “The General.”
Ivins recalls memories as varied as tales of growing up in a country-club society under the roof of her strict conservative Southern father, to political clashes with a catalog of Texan politicians, including former President George W. Bush, who she takes pride in humorously dubbing “Shrub.”
She quips that her love for Texas “is a harmless perversion.” For Ivins, the Lone Star State is the root of many things, including her career in journalism.
The columnist fondly recalls her range of stints at newspapers across the state of Texas, including an early job at the Texas Observer, which she asserts was home to the only seven liberals in the entire state.
While Turner’s portrayal of Ivins works to express her blunt honesty and humor, her performance appeared forced at times, and punch lines often fell flat in delayed deliveries.
The play’s collage-like anecdotes create a framework somewhat challenging to follow as extended pauses separated Ivins’ often sporadic trains of thought.
Yet despite this format, writers and twin sisters Margaret and Allison Engel present a distinct political message through Ivins’ story ““ that freedom of information and the vote are precious.
It is Ivins herself that expresses the message best as Turner repeats the journalist’s cautionary words from a 2004 speech. Ivins shares a Texan tale of children struggling to kill a harmless chicken snake, relating the childhood wisdom that “some things’ll scare you so bad, you hurt yourself” to modern politics.
Ivins muses that fear of communism, crime, terrorists, drugs and present-day worries are debilitating fears. And she proclaims that it is by fear that Americans mistakenly hurt themselves ““ “We think we can make ourselves safer by making ourselves less free,” Turner says through Ivins’ voice. “But let me tell you something ““ when you make yourself less free, all that happens afterward is you are less free. You are not safer.”
It comes as no surprise then that such a play should debut at the Geffen, amidst political campaigning as a reminder to vote. And if anything else, to think.
““ Lauren Roberts
Email Roberts at lroberts@media.ucla.edu.