Another Take on True Grit

In a season filled with holiday parties, shopping mania, and Christmas bells, on Saturday night we decided to step out from the holiday hustle and bustle and step back to a time when things seemed a little slower, gasoline was cheaper, when the twin towers were still standing in the Big Apple, and when Ann Richards was governor of Texas.  Saturday was the opening night of Holland Taylor's one-woman show, Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards.  And, what a portrait it was.  My mom, who was in town from Texas, and I went to the show together and arrived a bit early due to the expected holiday traffic.  The show for us began as we watched the Kennedy Center auditorium fill up with a mosaic of people -- all kinds of people -- old, young, gay, straight, black, white, Hispanic, female, male, single, married, divorced -- fill the audience to pay tribute to the late Governor.  And, these were not just Texans (although, judging from the hair dos of many ladies in the audience, there was a respectable number of folks who clearly either were from Texas or got there as soon as they could).

I had just turned 10 years old when Ann Richards was elected Governor of Texas and I recall the scorned look that many kids in my elementary school gave me when I confessed over lunch that I had voted for her in our school's mock election.  Governor Richards hailed from near my hometown of Waco and had attended Baylor University, like I would do ten years later.  There was something about her that inspired me even age 10.  Her outspoken, larger than life nature -- her grit, her propensity to straight talk and tell it, as she said to a cheering audience at the Democratic National Convention, like "the cow ate the cabbage," and her commitment to social justice and equality.  Ann Richards was quite a role model for many of us growing up in Texas in the 80s and 90s -- especially for many young girls -- and so taking a few hours in the middle of December to see Holland Taylor's tribute to her at the Kennedy Center was like an early Christmas present -- even if my to do list for Saturday was already overflowing (I had to a baby shower to attend, work to complete (including two briefs to finalize), Christmas gifts to buy, kitchen to clean, Christmas cookies to make, and several phone calls to make and that was just what was on the list before 7pm). But, it was worth it.

The show encapsulated much of what we all love about Ann Richards.  It begins with footage from her Democratic National Convention speech where she told the Committee, who had only named 2 female key note speakers in more than 150 years (the other one of which was my hero, Barbara Jordan, who is also from Texas), to give women a chance, and they will perform, reminding them that Ginger Rogers Did Everything Fred Astaire Did, Just Backwards and In High Heels.  From that moment on, I was engrossed in this show -- even as my feet and back ached from the high heels that I had been wearing all day as I attempted to check off my massive to-do list. The show is a snapshot of Richard's time in office and highlights many social issues of the day -- reproductive choice, the death penalty, welfare reform, and a host of other issues.  It also paid tribute to Barbara Jordan and other Texas women who changed politics.  But, what I loved the most about the show was its illustration of how one person filled the role of being a woman, mother, wife, ex-wife, governor, community volunteer, business woman, daughter, friend, boss, cook, ladies basketball fan, and the list goes on.  That the woman happened to be Ann Richards made the show funny, direct, gritty, inspiring, and representative of the best of Texas. 

I have never seen any other artistic depiction of a woman's life in so many dimensions.  While many shows depict strong women as not having a family, or choosing their work always over their family (or choosing family over work), this Tribute showed the realities (and joyous blunders) of someone who tried, at least, to do it all -- who took all that life had to give and bestowed happiness on others and made a difference.  The perils of wisdom that Richards, played by Taylor, imparts to her audience -- that women should bet on themselves... that people should not be detached from politics... that government should be fair because life isn't fair... that no one should underestimate their station in life and that they can affect change... that you win some battles and lose others... were wonderful gems.   But, the show's tribute to the Good Life -- to a life of family, work, politics, fashion, feminism, friendship, laughter, health (as opposed to a life where all of these things are in tension) -- makes it stand out.  The show does not pay lip service to the  dark times -- it is honest about Richards' drinking, her failed marriage, and the flack that she got from many in Texas when she took unpopular stands -- but it pays tribute, for better or worse, to the ups and downs of the life of a strong woman committed to the Good Life and to justice for all.

Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards is showing at the Kennedy Center for several weeks until January 15th.  If you have a moment, grab a friend and go.  You'll leave inspired.