ANN at Lincoln Center's  Vivian Beaumont Theatre

(Seen March 18, 2013)

Holland Taylor is an entrepreneurial actress, best known for her film and television work.  At one point, Taylor obvious fell in love with the story of Ann Richards, the late Texas governor, and decided to re-incarnate her.

After years of research and countless meetings with Richards' family and friends, Taylor has written a tour-de-force one-person show for herself, which seems like a believable impersonation of the real Ann Richards.

Unfortunately, Taylor's acting talents are superior to her playwriting abilities, and the result is a paean to a woman that we don't know enough about --- nor do we care to know.  This one-sided version of a life in politics covers all the important events in Richards' career, but we never get to really see how she became the person we somewhat know.

Director Benjamin Endsley Klein has not been able to give any real life or meaning to this "and then..." story.  While Taylor has created a vehicle for herself as an actress, she has not been able to breathe life into the character.