Arts & Entertainment
‘Patriot’ missile
Kathleen Turner plays Molly Ivins in Arena season kick-off
‘Red Hot Patriot’
Aug. 23-Oct. 28
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, S.W.
Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle
$79-$109 at various performances
Kathleen Turner as Molly Ivins in the 2010 Philadelphia Theatre Company production of ‘Red Hot Patriot: the Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins.’ The show opened this week in Washington at Arena Stage where it plays through Oct. 28. (Photo by Mark Garvin via Arena)
It’s a very hot day in Missouri.
“Oh God, some of the hottest weather I’ve ever experienced,” says Kathleen Turner by phone from her mother’s house where she’s enjoying a mid-summer visit.
Mom’s doing “swell” and Turner is too, she says. The rheumatoid arthritis that’s plagued her off and on for years is under control and she feels great.
“I’m in remission and off the medication,” she says in her trademark throaty growl of a voice. “Which is lovely. The medication is life saving, but it’s nice not to have to take it every day, I do confess.”
They’ve been to the movies. Turner saw “The Intouchables” and “loved it.”
“I laughed out loud — I don’t often do that.”
This morning she filled the bird feeders and notices a hummingbird enjoying the flavored water she put out as we chat.
It’s the calm before a busy fall when we talked two weeks ago. This week she opened in Washington for a two-month-plus run of “Red Hot Patriot: the Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins,” a 75-minute, one-woman show Turner first read at Arena in 2009 before playing it in Philadelphia in 2010 and again in January and February at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. It’s Turner’s first appearance at Arena in more than 30 years. She last played at the storied company in a 1981 production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the same year she catapulted to national stardom in the film “Body Heat.”
Turner says she enjoys returning to the material, a tribute of sorts to the late Texan liberal newspaper columnist of the title.
“Every time I’ve gone back to a piece, whether it’s ‘Virginia Woolf’ or ‘High’ or this, it’s gotten cleaner. Clearer. There’s less fuss over the emotionalism of building the character and the production. It gets toned down, just clearer, sharper. I love going back to a piece.”
Ivins, a syndicated political columnist who died at age 62 in 2007 of breast cancer, has added relevance this election year, Turner says. Twin sisters Margaret Engel and Allison Engel wrote the piece using Ivins’ writings, interviews and speeches and interviews with her friends and colleagues.
“I really want to have Molly in Washington just before the election,” Turner says. “We need Molly here and Arena said they’d take us.”
Director David Esbjornson — he’s straight but says he’s an “honorary” gay for having directed so much gay-themed theater like “Angels in America” and two pieces by Larry Kramer — agrees.
“I think [‘Patriot’] has more to say now than it did before,” he says. “I think people right now are really desperate to hear Molly’s voice and they will really love spending an evening listening to her words and thinking about what she had to say.”
Esbjornson, who also did the show in Austin, Texas, without Turner (Barbara Chisholm played Ivins there), says Ivins “fought for the common man, the person who doesn’t have all the advantages financially and otherwise.”
Turner, who met Ivins, says the role was an easy choice. “Our positions are very much the same,” she says.
“It’s kind of a personality piece, very intimate. It’s really me talking to the audience directly, there’s nobody else up there. So it creates a real storytelling exercise kind of like combining acting and public speaking. It’s a wonderful mix and it surely suits me. … And the response has just been incredible. I’d come off in L.A. and be like, ‘What just happened?’ I was flabbergasted.”
Turner says the character couldn’t be more different from another legendary figure she played about 10 years ago in another one-woman show — Tallulah Bankhead.
“Tallulah was a real broken woman, terribly flawed,” Turner says. “Molly was no saint, but she didn’t have any false ideals. Her commitment to country and her knowledge and political savvy were just extraordinary. Tallulah was so self involved.”
Turner indulges a few quick questions about her craft before we part.
Having met Ivins was helpful, but not necessary — “I’m an actor, I don’t imitate. This is my interpretation.”
Of her increasingly theater-heavy oeuvre, Turner is fine with it, except that it “pays so poorly, which is a damn shame.” She loves the “extraordinary magic” of it, though.
Learning lines is always a physical thing for her — she never does it sitting down. It starts with “roping together” thoughts and links in the script.
Esbjornson says the show shifts and surprises in a way that keeps it tight, despite the lean mechanics.
“You never let people settle in fully and feel they know where this is going,” he says.
Turner arrives for an 8 p.m. curtain about 6 and does vocal warm-ups. Vocal stamina over a run is not a problem, “unless you get sick, then that’s a whole other thing.”
After a performance, Turner is low-key. She’s usually back to her apartment cooking or watching TV. “You get tired of eating out all the time,” she says. “And I’m a very good cook.”
The legendary actress is especially insightful on her gay sensibility, which she doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge.
“I don’t take myself so seriously,” she says. “I have a ‘fuck you’ attitude and I think gay people like that.”
Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
Friday, January 30
Friday Tea Time will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Bring your beverage of choice. For more information, contact Mac ([email protected]).
Spark Social will host “RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Watch Party” at 8 p.m. This event will be hosted by local drag queens TrevHER and Grey, who will provide hilarious commentary and make live predictions on who’s staying and who’s going home. Stick around after the show for a live drag performance. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 31
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Sunday, February 1
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community and Conversation” at noon at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ+ community. Look for the Go Gay DC sign on the long table near the front window. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, February 2
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam (adamheller@thedccenter.org).
Tuesday, February 3
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more information, email [email protected].
Wednesday, February 4
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, February 5
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
This queer comedy show will warm you up
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
AIDS Healthcare Foundation sues Fla. over ‘illegal’ HIV drug program cuts
Calendar: January 30-February 5
Two Chinese men detained over AI-generated picture of pandas engaging in same-sex behavior
Top Democrats reintroduce bill to investigate discrimination against LGBTQ military members
Two gay men face deportation to Iran
Defunding LGBTQ groups is a warning sign for democracy
Blade welcomes spring intern
