Ann
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Cititour.com Review
Ann Richards may have died in 2006, but the indomitable, inspirational spirit of this remarkable woman, is alive and well and living on the stage of Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater thanks to the amazing Holland Taylor, the star and author of the solo show Ann. Audiences members who only know Richards from her mesmerizing 1988 speech at the Democratic National Convention – which helped her become the 45th Governor of Texas in 1991 – will be treated to a much fuller portrait of this complex trailblazer. Similarly, viewers who know Taylor only as the sharp-tongued Evelyn Harper on CBS’ Two and Half Men, or from any of her other fine television work, will witness just a superb stage actress she truly is. This is the kind of bravura performance that will be remembered not just as awards time, but for seasons to come.
What may be surprising to anyone is just how accomplished Taylor proves in her initial outing as a playwright. Having spent six years of research on her subject – whom she met over a friendly lunch with columnist Liz Smith – Taylor has put together a vivid portrait of Richards, melding both the personal and political with ease. We see (and hear) Ann as both loving and disappointed daughter, adored by her father, yet unable to please her mother; perfectionist wife who nonetheless slowly drifts away from her husband; admitted alcoholic who, we sense, always misses those beloved vodka martinis; doting yet no-nonsense mother; and especially, political firebrand, firm in her convictions about fairness to all, firmer still in her passion for women’s rights.
Taylor shows us that Richards doesn’t suffer fools, gladly or otherwise, but is as quick to make amends (of sorts) as she is to lose her temper, She expertly captures Richards’ sly (and occasionally raunchy) sense of humor – she’s not above laughing at her own family or kidding President Bill Clinton about his Arkansas roots. Most of all, Taylor’s Ann is a woman not only smart enough to know that you can’t win every battle, but smarter still to know which battles to fight.
Even more experienced playwrights than Taylor have struggled with the solo show format. So it’s not altogether surprising that the piece’s structure, which begins with Richards addressing a fictional graduating class before taking us into a day in her office (where Taylor is nimbly abetted by recorded voice of Tony winner Julie White as her exasperated secretary Nancy Kohler) and eventually, if briefly, moving to her New York consulting office, and ending up back at the graduation isn’t exactly seamless. However, director Benjamin Endsley Klein wisely keeps Taylor moving around the stage when he can, and the actress proves to be an expert in connecting with audiences, especially those in the Beaumont’s front rows.
Taylor is certainly aided in her quest for visual authenticity by costume designer Julie Weiss’ white suit and especially veteran wig designer Paul Huntley, but I suspect she could have come onstage in a burlap sack and matted brown hair and still make us all believe that Ann Richards has returned from the grave to share her wit and wisdom – and to remind us how much we lost when this one-of-a-kind personality was taken from us too soon.
Visit the Site
http://theannrichardsplay.com
Cast
Holland Taylor
Open/Close Dates
Opening 3/7/2013
Closing 6/30/2013
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 2/18/2013
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Vivian Beaumont Theater
150 West 65th Street
New York, NY 10023
Map
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