“Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins” “Red Hot Patriot” at the Geffen
At The Theatre with Audrey Linden
One cannot help but wonder how much of this energetic “kick-ass” is Kathleen Turner and how much is Molly Ivins? Turner becomes Ivins as she swaggers onstage with her brand of moxie. Kathleen Turner bears a strong resemblance to Molly Ivins. And, she has much in common with Ivins in that she also is a tall gal, a political liberal, has had issues with alcohol, and is known to be outspoken. It is the perfect vehicle for Turner who has matured since her “Romancing the Stone” days into a full-fledged, very talented actress. Gone is the slim, svelte Turner who seduced with her body. Now, she seduces with her mind, with her words, and with her fine acting ability. I only question her cadence and speech pattern which was over done at times. She is past the sexy star image, has aged and filled out, but Kathleen Turner is not past her acting prime and as she proves in this show with her abundance of energy and talent! She got thunderous applause from the sold out house the moment she set foot on stage as Molly Ivins.
The show is flawlessly directed by David Esbjornson with projections by Maya Ciarrocchi. These projections show Ivins’ family, her father, the General as she called him, places she worked ,political figures she acidly wrote about and enhanced John Arnone’s simple set which consisted of a desk, rolling chair, and an assemblage of old desks that give the effect of an old newsroom that has seen better days. The teletype machine spews out old news written by Molly. It is a one woman show, though there is a copy boy played by Matthew Van Oss who has no lines but serves to retrieve the teletype blasts.
Margaret and Allison Engels’ writing is taut and flows smoothly from the opening in which Ivins is reminiscing about her father to the very end where she is giving the power to us, the ordinary people. Ivins had never written a piece about her father, and we learn he is struggling with some serious illness that will not get the better of him, if there is a “better” of him. Ivins’ had a life-time of unresolved conflicts that centered on her father. Perhaps she would not have been the dynamically outspoken columnist had she resolved those conflicts. Her anger at him fueled the fires that led to the anger she directed at many left wing conservative, intelligence-challenged politicians she shot down with her keen and killing Ivinisms. The Engels give us a dynamic story not only about Ivins’ career as a political journalist but also give us insights into her personal life and the events that molded and influenced her.
As Turner sits with her feet up on the desk, she drawls, “I’m writin and this is what writin looks like.” “My old man was one of the toughest sons of bitches God ever made.” We see the anger Molly directs at her typewriter as she labors to start her piece on her father. She bangs the keyboard and shoves the carriage of the typewriter. As Ivins describes her life with the General, perhaps she would have liked to be punching him rather than the keys on her typewriter. Life with him was like living in a war zone. Though she was born into wealth and privilege, she did not have an easy life and her views were the complete opposite of her conservative controlling father.
Ivins’ journey takes her to Smith College and then a series of different journalism jobs until she landed at the Texas Observer and worked with her editor and pal, Cate Northcott. She stayed six years before leaving for the prestigious New York Times to add some color to their gray world of reportage. Only, the Times shipped her out to the Rocky Mountain Bureau. They “neutered” her colorful copy and she found her editors were “mice trying to be rats”. She wrote about a chicken slaughter in New Mexico and referred to it as a “Gang Pluck.” Her editor changed her “pungent patter and snappy prose” and ultimately fired her. We get the insight that some of this was “back talk I wished I had said to my father.”
Hers was a sad life with the death of her first love, Hank Collins in a motorcycle crash and her second love in the Vietnam War. We see the powerful image of the Vietnam Memorial, with the endless lists of names and hear the pain In her voice as she tells of “the stupid, fuckin war that gave me life-long issues with rage.” She says that war is “fabricated on a lie. War is about making money.” “It’s as plain as the balls on a tall dog.” She had “little victories but no husband, no children, and no money.” The Engels show us the cost of Ivins’ acerbic wit was loneliness. Ivins quipped she would leave money in her will to the Texas Observer and the ACLU so they “could be a pain in the ass to those in power.” Like Don Quixote, Ivins lived to hold up a mirror to those in power to shatter their images.
One of the Ivinisms I loved was when she spoke of the politician, Gibbs, and quoted a few of his lines as; “I am filled with humidity.” Ivins got a lot of mileage out of George Bush Jr. whom she coined, “Shrub.” “He is not bilingual; he is bi-ignorant.” Bush promised he’d work on the budget surplus and he did. “He made it disappear in record time.” Her witticisms landed her a job on “Sixty Minutes” which was short lived because they did not want her to be the outspoken gal she was. She had five minutes of fame.
She spoke of politician, Jim Collins, “If his I.Q. slips any lower, we’ll have to water him twice a day.” She could maim with words. She thought Ronnie Regan was “likeable and took a good picture.”
Ivins neglected herself and did not discover her breast cancer until it was a stage 3. She was “cut up, poisoned, and burned.” Ivins fought a brave battle with cancer until it took her life too soon in 2007 at age 62. The bright light that was Molly Ivins extinguished and she joined her beloved dog Shit. She got a lot of pleasure calling “Shit” and one could hear her say, “Shit happens.”
Turner embodies Ivins with energy and pathos as she regrets not being able to forgive her father. In a very moving scene, Turner shows Ivins struggling with emotion as she finishes her father’s obit. Ivins leaves us with a sense of self- empowerment. “Beloveds, you have political power. You are a citizen. “ She wanted to keep elections in the hands of the ordinary citizens and not in the hands of those politicians who bought the vote. Let them be elected “by ordinary citizens, by us the people.” This outspoken woman, who was a scrapper, empowered us.
Kathleen Turner inspires us in this portrayal of the outspoken, humorous, and acerbic Molly Ivins, who called em as she saw em. I got a strong sense of who Molly Ivins was and what she stood for. I also got a sense of what motivated her, the unresolved and conflicted relationship she had with her father. She was one angry woman, but she used her anger to slay the puppet politicians and show who was pulling their strings. Her words were “sharper than a two edged sword” and cut through the bull. Kathleen Turner, you “kicked-ass” in this performance. Turner is on stage for seventy-five minutes and never missed a beat. Turner got a well-deserved standing ovation. This illuminating and enjoyable show is not to be missed.
“Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins” at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., L. A. runs through February 12th. For tickets and show times call 310-208-5454 or on line at www.geffenplayhouse.com
Audrey Linden is a writer, actress and singer. She can be seen in a long-running “Associated Tax Resolution” commercial, two “Little Caesars” spots, a “Teva International Pharmaceutical” short, Gene Simmons’ “Family Jewels,” “America’s Court with Judge Ross,” VHS “Tough Love 2,”etc.
Audrey teaches ON CAMERA COMMERCIAL WORKSHOPS through the City of Beverly Hills, Community Services. To register, call 310-285-6850-course # 18014. Her classes are held at 241 Moreno Dr. B.H. 90212. The next class starts January 12th For more information, contact Audrey -audrey133@juno.com
The class in for 8 weeks @ $118 from 6:45-9:15 PM ($5 materials fee payable to instructor first night).
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