Over her past few decades of perpetual writer’s block, Fran Lebowitz has made the transition from famous writer to something of a public persona. If her Feb. 19 engagement at Emerson Colonial Theater proves anything, it’s that though she no longer writes, she absolutely still has personality.

“An Evening With Fran Lebowitz” kicked off with a conversation led by Christine Jacobson, an associate curator at Harvard’s Houghton Library, before transitioning into a question and answer session between Lebowitz and the audience.

From the moment she stepped on stage in her typical cowboy boots, wide cuffed jeans, starched white shirt and navy suit jacket, Lebowitz had the audience hooked. As a frequenter of professional theater and speaking engagements in both Boston and New York, I’ve very rarely heard such raucous applause from an audience — especially in response to the simple word “Hi.”

Admittedly, it took a few minutes for Jacobson to adjust to Lebowitz’s sardonic humor, but the two women soon fell into lockstep. Their playful banter felt incredibly natural, with Jacobson’s more upbeat tone serving as a perfect foil to Lebowitz’s usual gruffness.

During their conversation, Jacobson and Lebowitz sat in two very comfortable looking armchairs, laid out casually on an auburn Persian rug with a coffee table between. Cozy, sunset toned lighting flooded the stage with a homey warmth that made even the initial awkward moments feel easy. 

The conversation topics ranged from Lebowitz’s takes on Dunkin Donut’s Dunkacinos and Boston sports teams — spoiler: she doesn’t care about sports — to Lebowitz’s insightful reflections on literacy and politicians. 

After around 30 minutes of conversation, Jacobson forfeited the stage to the star of the evening who sauntered over to a podium positioned stage left, an image that called forth Lebowitz’s cameos as a judge on “Law and Order.” Lebowitz opened the floor to audience questions and soon hands shot up on each level of the three-tiered theater. 

At Lebowitz’s request, there were no microphones in the audience. I must say I was thoroughly impressed by Lebowitz’s keen hearing. At 74 years old, Lebowitz seems to have better hearing than I do at 21.

From questions about visiting delis in Kentucky to Lebowitz’s takes on audiobooks, audience members posed an even wider array of questions than Jacobson — all of which Lebowitz answered with ease.

While the evening showed Fran Lebowitz at her most cantankerous Fran Lebowitz self, it simultaneously revealed the person behind the personality. Although she keeps her cards close to her chest, Lebowitz’s witty responses managed to masterfully let the audience behind the curtain without revealing too much.

One of the most tender moments of the night was when Jacobson asked Lebowitz about her decades-long friendship with fellow writer Toni Morrison. It was incredibly heartwarming to see the famously sardonic Lebowitz speak so highly of her friend. She highlighted Morrison’s humanity and how fun she was to be around, a sharp pivot from the nearly mythical way literary giants like Morrison are often portrayed.

“I’ve known a lot of smart people in my life, but I’ve only ever known one wise person, you know, and that was Toni,” Lebowitz said.

Someone she doesn’t think is wise? New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. Although she voted for him, Lebowitz said he is  “very naive” and criticized his socialist beliefs as “too nice for the human species.” Still, even the queen of the cynics has some hope for the future.

“If he turns out to be really bad, which I don’t think he will be, the thing about a bad mayor is not like a bad president. We’ve had mostly bad mayors. You know what? If after like two or three minutes the mayor is bad, everyone just ignores him. You can’t ignore the president,” Lebowitz said.

I’ve always thought of Lebowitz as someone who sees things in black and white. However, her complicated thoughts on Mamdani demonstrated that Lebowitz can see in shades of gray — when she wants to, at least.

While Lebowitz returned back to conversations on present politics, she also spoke of the future and reflected on the past. In response to an audience question about the possibility of a sequel to “Pretend It’s a City,” Lebowitz’s film collaboration with Martin Scorsese, Lebowitz shared her plans to meet with Scorsese when he is back in the U.S.

One of the most laugh out loud moments of the night was when Lebowitz shared an anecdote from the very first time she met Andy Warhol. 

“There’s a piece of paper taped to the door, and it says, ‘knock loudly and announce yourself.’ Someone said, ‘who’s there?’ I said, ‘Valerie Solanas.’ This is the woman who shot Andy.Then Andy opened the door. And I thought, ‘this is a genius?’” 

At the end of the night as we poured down the winding stairs of the Emerson Colonial Theater and into the lobby, I heard two people in front of me discussing their thoughts on the evening. They said they wished the presentation was a bit more organized, and I fear I must disagree.

The raw, authentic presentation of the night was a testament to Lebowitz’s “take me or leave me” persona. Perhaps some of my fellow audience members would have left if they had the choice. I, however, would take an evening with Fran Lebowitz, thorns and all.