Went to the Pasadena Playhouse Saturday night to see "The Lady with all the Answers" -- a one-woman show about Ann Landers written by David Rambo.
Mimi Kennedy -- best known as the "hippie" mom on "Dharma and Greg" -- does a spot on portrayal of Eppie Lederer, better known as Ann Landers.
It's a sweet show that looks at a lady who got mail by the sackful and claimed to answer every letter that came with a return address.
I didn't know Lederer got her start as a Democratic County Chairwoman in Wisconsin and her friendship with Senator Hubert Humphrey (and efforts to defeat Senator Joe McCarthy) introduced her to many famous people and it was her Rolodex that most impressed the editors of the Chicago Sun-Times and resulted in an offer for her to take over the paper's advice column after the first Ann Landers stopped writing it.
The show also includes some details about her lifelong rivalry with her identical twin, Popo, also known as Dear Abby.
How odd twins end up as competitors as America's most read advice columnists (and don't think they weren't each aware of the other's circulation numbers).
Sunday afternoon I took in "Porcelain" at the Celebration Theater in West Hollywood. This show, directed by Michael Matthews, is very innovative in it's presentation style -- a young Asian man accused of committing a murder in London is interviewed by a jailhouse psychiatrist and the voices in his head, along with all other roles, are played by five actors who remain on the stage throughout the entire 80 minute show.
It starts slow, but as the details of the killing are revealed the show is truly gripping.
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