DRIVING MISS DAISY
VINTAGE THEATRE: June 2 – July 9
Deborah Persoff and Cris Davenport
(photo credit: RDG PHOTOGRAPHY)
Deborah Persoff is a National Treasure!
The first play in Alfred Uhry’s ‘Atlanta Trilogy,’ “Driving Miss Daisy,” won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s about Daisy Werthan, an elderly Jewish lady and her relationship with Hoke Coleburn, a black chauffeur, who drove for her in Atlanta from 1948 to 1973.
The show has been done both on and off Broadway as well as on London’s West End. Adapting the play for the 1989 film, Uhry won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. The film also received an Oscar for Best Picture as well as Best Actress for Jessica Tandy.
By turns cantankerous and tender, Deborah Persoff’s exquisitely luminous performance will stay in your heart for a very long time. Ms. Persoff is theatre royalty, and the Denver audience is fortunate to be able to experience her magnificent work.
Ever since I first saw Cris Davenport in “Intimate Apparel” (Marlowe Award for Best Supporting Actor), I have searched for his name in every program. His work in “District Merchants” (Marlowe Award for Best Actor) was superb.
In the role of Hoke Colburn, Daisy Werthan’s chauffeur, Mr. Davenport’s humor and heartfelt emotion make this performance unforgettable.
William B. Kahn is brilliant in the role of Boolie, Daisy’s son and Hoke’s employer. Mr. Kahn’s performance is the most amiable and multi-dimensional version of this character in memory.
Lorraine Scott’s direction of this play is top drawer. Her casting and pacing of the proceedings are supremely well done.
Rick Reid’s sound design bridges the scenes with excellent musical choices.
Kevin Taylor’s lighting design enhances the mood with his usual professional skill.
The scenic design by Urja Hurkute includes Daisy’s living room, Boolie’s office and a thoroughly well-executed version of Daisy’s car.
The costumes by Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry are spot on.
Megan O’Connor’s wig for Ms. Persoff is flawless.
The characters in this play navigate the social changes going on in the South between 1948 and 1973. Among them are the bombing of Atlanta’s Temple in 1958 and the 1965 salute to Martin Luther King Jr.
Uhry is the first playwright to win the Tony, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Oscar.
You simply must see this heart-opening humanistic production.
Run to get tickets!
Vintage Theatre Productions
"Driving Miss Daisy"
The heart-warming story of the unlikely friendship.
June 2 – July 9
Fri/Sat @ 7:30 p.m.; Mon., June 12 @ 7:30 p.m.; Sun @ 2:30 p.m.
303-856-7830 or online at www.vintagetheatre.org
Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010
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