Pity the poor souls too young to remember Molly Ivins.
The newspaper political columnist, who was 62 when breast cancer took her life in 2007, was insightful, smart, unabashedly liberal, and very, very funny.
If you have no idea who she is — or even if you do and miss her vision and humor — Invisible Theatre has a treat for you: “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins.”
Smartly directed by Nancy Davis Booth, the play stars Betsy Kruse Craig.
Like Ivins, Craig is 6 feet tall, a red-head, has a smooth Texas accent, and impeccable timing. It is always a treat to see Craig onstage, especially when she is bringing one of the funniest political columnists to vivid life.
The play opens as Ivins is attempting to write a column about her dying father, a conservative man with whom she has had a combative relationship. From there, she reminisces about her career, which included stints at the New York Times as well as a variety of Texas papers, a quick turn as a commentator on “60 Minutes,” and finally as a freelance syndicated columnist.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Times did not have an affection for her brand of plain-talk writing. She gives an example in the play. Ivins wrote: ‘‘The fella has a beer gut that belongs in the Smithsonian.” The Times changed it to: “The gentleman has a protuberant abdomen.”
In fact, the play, patched together from an abundance of Ivins’ writings and talks, contains a generous sprinkling of Ivins’ witticisms. A few favorites: about a dim Republican congressman from Dallas, she wrote; “If his I.Q. slips any lower, we’ll have to water him twice a day.” Readers complained and that prompted the editors at Dallas Times Herald to put up billboards with the question: “Molly Ivins can’t say that, can she?”
And her observation of President Ronald Reagan: “Recall, if you will, the immortal remark he made to the Lebanese foreign minister after that gentleman had finished a half-hour lecture on the tangled politics of his country. Said the Gipper: ‘Y’know, your nose looks just like Danny Thomas.’”
Highlights of her life, including memories of her fractured family, loves she lost, mentors, friends and even sexist remarks from the men in the mostly-all-male newsrooms she worked in, are sprinkled throughout. And through her observations about corrupt politicians and social injustices, we can’t help but think that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
But here’s the rub: The script by twin sisters and writers Margaret Engel and Allison Engel gives us a funny, breezy look at Ivins. It does not give us a depth of character or a strong play with a solid narrative.
That said, Ivins is the subject, Betsy Kruse Craig is the actress. That is not a bad way at all to spend an evening and get acquainted — or reacquainted — to the brilliance of Ivins.
The production runs through Nov. 13 at Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave. Tickets are $40. It’s recommended for ages 18 and up.
For more information, call 520-882-9721 or visit invisibletheatre.com.
Students prepare for their showcase during Live Theater Workshop's "Jr Players Camp" at Live Theater Workshop in Tucson, Ariz. on June 16, 2022. "Jr. Players Camp" is a two-week camp where high school students learn to produce a play by learning lines, acting, dancing, singing and building sets. The yearly camp runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until June 25. At the end of the camp, the students will put on the first act of the musical "Into the Woods." Their showcase will be on Saturday June 24th at 11 a.m.
