Molly Ivins

Yes, I am an ardent Molly Ivins fan and longtime progressive feminist activist. Yes, I do believe Wendy Davis should run for Texas Governor and whup ol’ misogynist Greg Abbott’s lily-white fanny. After all, his politics are from the Dark Ages, and he deserves it.

No, I am not seeing this production, again. I saw it first at the Zach Scott Theatre in Austin. I then saw what Fort Worth’s Stage West did with it. Both reviews are linked below.

Summation? 1) The playwrights are MFA screenwriting graduates from some big name institution of “higher” learning, somewhere, not in Texass. As witty and wise as Molly is, here or anywhere, their work feels like a chunk of skeleton bait, hoping to reel in a screen production option from somebody, not in Texass,  like Robert Redford. It hardly touches the breadth and depth of Texas’ leading lady of progressive sass with the heart and soul possible on stage.  2) I felt Stage West mounted a less than sterling production, from set to props to casting to direction. So, I’ll take a pass. Read on below. See the show. Enjoy the reviews of adoration, sure to pour forth. Weep because we sure do need Molly back or a strong female voice that embodies her acid humor and incisive truths. Molly  was right on about the Shrub and Rove like The Dixie Chicks were about Iraq and Afghanistan. I can just imagine what she would have to say about Dubya’s Liberry at SMU, Perry and Abbott’s relentless misogyny and Wendy Davis’ proud filibuster for women’s rights this summer in Austin (Stage West’s Jerry Russell is her dad, if you don’t know).

Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-ass Wit of Molly Ivins — August 18 – September 29

http://www.watertowertheatre.org

At the Zach Scott in Austin: https://criticalrant.com/2011/01/31/molly-ivins-the-zach-theatre-a-moving-memo/

At Stage West in Fort Worth: https://criticalrant.com/2012/05/22/molly-ivins-hits-spin-cycle-stage-west/

Molly Ivins

Political Columnist: 1944 – 2007