RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS: 65% – BITTERSWEET

Kathleen Turner stars as Molly Ivins in the "Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins" at Geffen Playhouse. Photo from Philadelphia Theatre Company production. Credit: Mark Garvin.

BITTERSWEET
Kathleen Turner, who portrays Ivins in “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins,” which opened Wednesday at the Geffen Playhouse, can’t quite duplicate the light East Texas drawl. (Turner’s signature husky tone sounds as though she’s been treating a sore throat by gargling with bourbon.) But the veteran actress has that same “Do you really want to reckon with me, cowboy?” bravado that makes this straightforward tribute to Ivins (it really can’t be considered a play) diverting despite its pedestrian nature.
Charles McNulty – LA Times

SWEET
Under David Esbjornson’s solid direction, Turner brings humanity and depth to this portrayal of her, sidestepping caricature in favor of a finely shaded portrait.
Les Spindle – Backstage

BITTERSWEET
Moreover, Turner’s characteristically choppy delivery — bursts of talk broken up by pauses in illogically placed places — makes a hash of the droller punch lines, and works against any sense of Pecos drawl. Where Ivins’ flowing, measured delivery conveyed iron conviction in every raised-eyebrow observation, Turner’s Ivins works too hard and comes across as desperate.
Bob Verini – Variety

SWEET
With a voice that sounds like it was sandpapered raw by whiskey and cigarettes, Kathleen Turner brings the hard-drinking Molly Ivins to life in Margaret Engel and Allison Engel’s “Red Hot Patriot” at the Geffen Playhouse.
Jana J. Monji – LA Examiner

SWEET
The show is absolutely wonderful, entertaining and illuminating… and fiercely topical to today’s helter-skelter events, weaving personal anecdotes with her colorful take on national politics.
Jay Weston – Huffington Post

SWEET
It’s a lovely heart-felt performance from Turner whose gravelly broken voice fits in well with the Texas twang she affects in recreating Ivins’ speech. The show itself, at just over 70 minutes in one act, is lean and simple.
Brian – OutWestArts

BITTER
Ivins’ history is as vibrant and rife with drama – the Bush Administration’s attempted embargo of her book release; her battles with editors at the New York Times and with Dallas Republicans – as this evening is without it.
Jason Rohrer – Stagehappenings

BITTERSWEET
Direction by David Esbjornson is coherent and flawless. Overall, Red Hot Patriot is a viable play — certainly a must-see for Turner and Ivins fans alike. Unfortunately the script is shamelessly unimaginative.
Mialka Bonadonna-Morano – LAist

BITTER
Let’s call “Red Hot Patriot” what it is: a one-woman homage to a terrific wit and a wise woman. It is not a play. Putting a star name on the marquee does not turn it into a drama. From the uninspired set — piled up, old, metal office furniture against a scrim which allows for the projection of several photographs — to the lackluster direction of David Esbjornson, “Red Hot Patriot” does not match the pleasure of curling up with one of Ivins’ books and savoring every word.
Karen Weinstein – Culture Vulture

SWEET
Turner got a well-deserved standing ovation. This illuminating and enjoyable show is not to be missed.
Audrey Linden – LA Examiner

BITTERSWEET
Though the laughs are plentiful and though it is great fun watching Turner prowl about the stage like a caged panther testing its bars, the collected creative forces behind “Red Hot Patriot” have failed to bring their subject much to life.
Trevor Thomas – EdgeLosAngeles

BITTERSWEET
Ivins loved bikers. She loved Texas. She loved to laugh at the place. This performance captures just shadows of all that.
Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly

BITTER
Ms. Turner’s famously dark voice is hard to listen to for an uninterrupted 75 minutes, and in the end you leave with the sense that there was much more to Molly Ivins than was hinted at by Turner’s spare portrayal.
Cynthia Citron – LA Examiner

SWEET
Now in all-out frank and devilishly entertaining look at Ivins’ take on Houston, Texas and the world, Margaret and Allison Engel’s Red Hot Patriot docks securely at the Geffen until February 12, directed with razor-sharp precision by David Esbjornson and boasting a fast and furious performance from Turner.
Don Grigware – BroadwayWorld

SWEET
So begins Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins – the funny and insightful play by twin sister playwriting duo Margaret and Allison Engel. Directed by David Esbjornson, Red Hot Patriot captures the renowned red-headed reporter’s indomitable character by weaving personal anecdotes with her colorful take on national politics.
Pauline Adamek – ArtsBeatLA

SWEET
The moment Kathleen Turner speaks her first word of dialogue, you somehow know you should fasten your seat belts for the extraordinary theatrical ride that is going to ensue, and ensue it does, as Turner brings to life, Molly Ivins, one of America’s most respected, multiple award-winning columnists.
Beverly Cohn – LASplash

SWEET
The evening has lots of laughs as well as some poignant moments, when she talks of her first love who was killed in a motorcycle accident, and her second who died in the Vietnam War.
Marilyn Anderson – LASplash

SWEET
Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. Run, don’t walk to the Geffen Playhouse production of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick Ass Wit of Molly Ivins who has been brought to life by the two-time Tony and Oscar nominee, talented and extraordinary Kathleen Turner and directed by David Esbjornson.
Cathy Wayne – NoHoArtsDistrict

SWEET
But in what is essentially a one woman show Turner fully embodies Ivins, tossing off zesty zingers, one liners and cuss words that afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted with Ivins-esque aplomb.
Ed Rampell – Jesther Entertainment

BITTERSWEET
Turner captures this audacity well, playing to her own strengths as an actress. Fans of Turner will be held captive by her performance. Others might find it a bit aimless and only mildly diverting.
Kevin P. Taft – Frontiers

SWEET
The Geffen Playhouse is featuring a somewhat biographical story of Ivins in a production written by twin sisters Margaret and Allison Engel titled Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. It features the outstanding actress, two-time Tony Award and Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner and is directed by David Esbjornson.
Carol Kaufman Segal – Stagehappenings

RED HOT PATRIOT; THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS
Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, L.A.
8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays; ends Feb. 12, 2012
Tickets: $72-$87; (310) 208-5454
Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes