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Were someone to ask my advice on what new plays were notable, I’d have no trouble dispensing wisdom. The Lady with All the Answers, the one-woman show starring Judith Ivey as Ann Landers, would be on top of the list. Staged at the Cherry Lane Theatre, the play, by David Rambo, is a ticklish delight.

Based on the "life and letters" of Landers, whose real name is Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer, Rambo’s play is little on the surface; little theater, little time (80 minutes), and little big actress Ivey. What’s surprising is how much intricacy is worked into the show, and how smartly executed the dynamics.

Set in 1975, the show starts with Landers working on a column about her impending divorce. Landers, who was so anti-divorce, "my dateline could be Vatican City," ended her 35-year marriage to Budget Rent-A-Car mogul Jules Lederer after he confessed to an affair.

Writer’s block and another book project keep her distracted enough that she starts talking to the audience, breaking the fourth wall to mull over favorite columns, funniest columns, and, eventually, her life. A phone call from identical twin sister Pauline Esther Phillips (Dear Abby) lets the audience in on their competitive, uneasy relationship. A later call from Jules tells us exactly what we need to know about their relationship.

In the course of the show, her readers’ letters (and ramblings in between fits of typing, a bath, popping chocolates, and dancing solo to the record player) show us a woman who wrote openly about sex, historically discussing the definition of "Deep Throat" on live television. She was one of the first journalists to address homosexuality in a positive light, and opposed the Vietnam War as much as she opposed Joe McCarthy. She, and her readers, also have distinct opinions about toilet paper, a bit you have to see to appreciate.

Miss Ivey, in her bouffant hairdo, Midwestern twang, and conservative dress (the delightful costumes are by Martin Pakledinaz), is a firecracker of an actress, impossibly infectious and simmering with emotion, her transitions so meticulous it’s a blessing the show is in a small theater. You can’t not like her, and by the end of the show you do feel as if you’ve spent time with Miss Landers.

The simple, elegant set is by Neil Patel; the sharp direction from BJ Jones. Both work like back-up dancers; highlighting, but not overshadowing, the star.

The Lady With All The Answers offers a great script, an impeccable actress, and a production that never over-sells itself. As Ann Landers says, if you don’t believe me, I’m happy to get hate mail.

The Lady with All the Answers continues through November 29 at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street. For more information visit the Cherry Lane Theatre website.