By Judith Cookis Rubens
Peg Small and Rico Bruce Wade star in "Driving Miss Daisy." Photo: Farmers Alley Theatre
At its core, "Driving Miss Daisy" speaks to the power of friendship. How, given enough time and patience, two people of different backgrounds can see past the rough exteriors and let one another in.
The play follows the 25-year relationship between Daisy Werthan (Peg Small), a wealthy Jewish widow, and Hoke Coleburn (Rico Bruce Wade), the African-American chauffeur hired to drive her around. Daisy's son, Boolie (Adam Weiner), hires Hoke against his aging mother's wishes after she wrecks yet another car. For Daisy, a proud, retired schoolteacher, it's a blow to her independence and a worry that she's putting on airs by having a driver. And while she adamantly insists she's not prejudiced, she protests too much.
Such starts their unlikely pairing, which melts over time from a frosty first encounter to a tender, hopeful resolution.
On previous viewings, it's been tempting to charge Alfred Uhry's 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning play with being too sentimental, or for under-developing the social tensions of the time. Through a series of vignettes set in Atlanta between 1948-1973, the audience watches racial and religious prejudices and the Civil Rights movement shape this trio of characters in the South.
But this Farmers Alley production, directed by Art Nemitz, highlights the play's central message: Daisy and Hoke are more alike than different. Both are equally proud and feisty; they both have felt the pain of intolerance – Daisy, for her religion and Hoke, for his race.
Perfect for small theaters with its three-person cast and typically simple set design (two chairs often serve as the front and back seat of the car), "Daisy" is a smart choice for Farmers Alley. (Timely, too, as a much-hyped Broadway production currently stars Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones.)
W. Douglas Blickle's set is deceptively simple, making it easy to transition from Daisy's home to Boolie's office and several road trips, with plenty of hints to help the imagination. The actors words and gestures provide the rest. Donna McKenna's costumes also help advance the years and the travels. Only a well-lit backdrop of vintage pictures, there to mark the theme of each scene, proves unnecessary and a tad distracting.
It's wise not to distract from the acting here.
Small, a retired New York theater veteran, has strong comedic talents, and plays up Daisy's surly exchanges. Her delightful dislike of Boolie's wanna-be-WASPy wife, Florine, is spot-on. Small could use some polishing of what is certainly a lengthy script, but when she's on a roll, it's fun to watch her spar. She does a nice job aging Daisy into her '90s and softening her appropriately.
Weiner, as Boolie, shines when exasperated at his mother's quirks.
But this production would not have the humor or heart that it does without a strong actor as Hoke, and Wade more than delivers. A Second City-trained performer, Wade plays up Hoke's quick comebacks and sly humor to great effect. But he also gets Hoke's body language, Southern drawl, and vulnerability. That keeps this production humming along, despite a few opening night blips.
Hoke's character doesn't so much evolve as unfold along this journey, and it's a pleasure to ride with him.
REVIEW:
'Driving Miss Daisy'
Farmers Alley Theatre , 221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo. Thursday-Sunday through Nov. 21. $23-$25. 269-343-2727. http://www.farmersalleytheatre.com
