By D. A. Blackburn
This season, the organizers of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival have chosen to do something a little different. Last season, the festival took its first stab at musical theater, with a fine production of "Side by Side by Sondheim." This year, they've opted to branch into straight non-Shakespearean plays, with a fine production of "Driving Miss Daisy." The move may seem a bit unusual for a festival whose bread and butter has been almost exclusively the Bard, but it's a wise and welcome one – given today's tough economic times and changing demographics.
"Driving Miss Daisy" is likely best known to audiences as an acclaimed 1989 feature film starring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Aykroyd. But before Hollywood came calling, Alfred Uhry had already made a success of the story, premiering it on the stage in 1987 and subsequently receiving a Pulitzer Prize for the work. In the 20-plus years since, the work has maintained a significant following and found its way onto many a stage.
"Driving Miss Daisy" has continued to engage audiences — and interest theater administrators — for all this time for a very simple reason: It is a thoughtfully written, genuinely endearing story, packed with socially relevant themes ranging from race and economic status to aging, friendship and family dynamics. And it doesn't hurt that it's pretty funny, too.
Set in Atlanta in 1948, it is the story of Daisy Wertham, an aging Jewish widow judged by her son Boolie to be incapable of driving a car. Not wanting to limit her mobility, Boolie hires Hoke Coleburn, an African American, as a chauffeur. Though Daisy is initially resistant to the idea, a 25-year friendship evolves, and together they combat a wealth of adversities. Uhry's ultimate message: It's never too late to change your world view.
It makes for some pretty heartwarming and sweetly funny theater. And the MSF has done this tale justice with their production. The show feels — for good reason — much like the last "Driving Miss Daisy" reviewed by EncoreMichigan.com (BoarsHead Theatre, January 2009). This owes much to the fact that both director (Katie Doyle) and Boolie (Bruce Bennett) are holdovers from that show. That said, the MSF has not merely a recycled a production.
Doyle's direction feels a bit looser and more fluid. It's very evident that her vision of the work has evolved in the interim. Characters come to life with less formality and, as such, feel quite natural. The play is structured as a series of vignettes, and Doyle has done a fine job in moving the story and the characters between them, while giving the work a steady, comfortable pacing.
She's also gotten some fine acting from her cast. Bennett's Boolie is consistent with the good work of his BoarsHead appearance, but again, a bit more relaxed and human. As Daisy, Sally Pesetsky provides the work with a perfectly endearing firebrand, and manages to make her character's evolution through the darkness of prejudice to the light of pseudo-acceptance believable. Rico Bruce Wade struggled occasionally at the opening, but ultimately delivered a strong performance. His on-stage transformation from middle age to elder, apparent only in his physical disposition, is point perfect.
Set design for "Driving Miss Daisy" is the most appealing of all of the MSF's 2010 offerings–all by Jeromy Hopgood. Its clean but attractive fixtures serve the structure of the work quite well, though it uses very little of Jackson Community College's Baughman Theatre stage.
Lauren Montgomery's costumes, too, are a fine fit for the play, as is Kate Hopgood's sound design, keeping with the fine execution that has marked this year's festival. Michael Beyer's lighting is sufficient, if a bit generic.
As this journey with "Daisy" draws near its end, it is worth noting one potential problem: its schedule. Festival administrators have opted to present the show only three times (two remaining), and only on Sundays. To compound the issue, there is but one Sunday (August 8) that patrons can also partake in the festival's Shakespeare — and at that, only "Romeo and Juliet." As Jackson Community College is a bit removed from the well-beaten theatrical path of Southeast Michigan, patrons–and the festival–would be better served with more opportunities to bundle this show with either or both Shakespearean offerings for a single day of theater. After reviewing all three productions, on three separate days, and driving about 150 miles each time (from Oakland County), I'm beginning to think that Daisy might not be the only one in need of a chauffeur.
REVIEW:
'Driving Miss Daisy'
Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Michael Baughman Theatre on the campus of Jackson Community College, 2111 Emmons Rd., Jackson. Sundays through Aug. 8. $15-$35. 517-998-3673. http://www.michiganshakespearefestival.com
