TheatreWashington’s Sizzling Night with Kathleen Turner

By Mary Bird • August 15, 2013 0 1459

On Sept. 20, Kathleen Turner, coping with a grueling schedule, gave a bravura 9 p.m. performance at Arena Stage in “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins.” For 75 minutes, she channeled the feistiness of the maverick Texan journalist through the cunning dialogue crafted by theatreWashington Board member Margaret Engel and her sister Allison Engel. A line early in the play set the tone: “If truth be told, and wouldn’t that be a novelty?” She obligingly mingled at a private post-show reception. The evening was more special by being dedicated to Jaylee Mead, a true angel of Washington theater.