Driving Miss Daisy Remains Heartfelt Success at Dramaworks

By Oline Cogdill
Live theater can reach one’s heart, explore emotions and show us who we are and who we might become, grasping the sentimental without being cloying or sappy. This is especially true in the now classic Driving Miss Daisy, receiving a heartfelt, absorbing run through March 1 at Palm Beach Dramaworks.

On the surface, Driving Miss Daisy seems to be simple—a son hires a man to chauffer his elderly mother because her driving has become a safety issue. Alfred Uhry’s 1987 comedy/drama that took the 1988 Pulitzer Prize endures, and is frequently produced across the country. The 1989 film version received four Academy Awards, including for best picture and best actress for Jessica Tandy. (I have no doubt that Driving Miss Daisy is being staged somewhere each month at varying levels of theatrical skills from community to student to professional.)

Driving Miss Daisy is about the bonds between parent and child, how real affection and respect can grow between strangers, aging, classism, resilience, the loss of independence, assimilation and prejudice toward both race and religion. Throw in the background of the South in post WWII and that ups the segregation and racial divide.

Yes, that’s a lot to pack into one 95-minute play, but Uhry’s well-constructed script has no weak points.

Dramaworks’ excellent production explores all the depth of this classic, led by expert direction by Julianne Boyd, the founder of Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts, guiding the first-class cast of Debra Jo Rupp, Ray Anthony Thomas and Matthew W. Korinko.

Miss Daisy’s road trip begins in 1948 with a series of episodic scenes that will span more than 20 years. Successful Atlanta businessman Boolie Werthan takes away the car keys from his 72-year-old widowed mother, Daisy, because she has had one too many car accidents.

Losing her independence doesn’t set well with Miss Daisy, a former schoolteacher who takes pride in being self-sufficient. “I’ve always done for myself,” she says adamantly. Growing older isn’t for the faint of heart and this strong-willed woman refuses to go gentle into that good night. (We hear you, Daisy!) One caveat we must mention, 72 years old hardly seems old now, and getting younger every day. But 72 years old in 1948 was a lot different then.

Daisy insists she is not prejudiced, but bristles that Boolie will hire a Black man. Hoke Colburn has experience driving other families. He also desperately needs the work and is willing to put up with Daisy’s barbs and curmudgeonly attitude. Hoke also says he likes that the Werthans are Jewish because he has found them to be good, fair employers

The drive has a bumpy start.  Hoke spends a week, sitting in her kitchen, doing nothing, before Daisy will allow him to drive her to the grocery. Even then, she berates him for going too fast (19 miles an hour!), taking a route she never did and parking where she wouldn’t.

But gradually, the relationship of Daisy and Hoke changes gears from adversarial to real affection, care and friendship. They gossip, chuckle that Boolie’s unseen wife goes overboard decorating for Christmas in their Jewish home, seeking assimilation.

Many tender, poignant scenes shift the plot. While tending her husband’s grave, Daisy learns Hoke can’t read so she begins to teach him, making this former teacher feel useful and needed again and instilling in Hoke a sense that someone cares.

Along the way, Daisy and Hoke will each confront, acknowledge and, in a way, overcome their own often unthinking prejudice. Daisy grows from saying all Blacks, except her maid, steal to having Hoke drive her to a banquet supporting Martin Luther King, who she says “I think he is wonderful.” Hoke will understand the prejudice endured by Jews in post-WWII Atlanta.

Boyd’s cast hits all the grace notes of  Driving Miss Daisy.

Rupp brings depth to Daisy, balancing the character’s prickliness with her determination and need to be independent. Her independence and living by herself has made Daisy reticent to open up to others, becoming a prisoner of her own prejudices, unable to see beyond her home. But Rupp allows us to see how Hoke’s mere presence and his concern break down her walls. During the play, Daisy ages more than 20 years as Rupp terrifically shows her heartbreaking move to dementia and frailty.

Rupp has long showed her skills in various films and TV series including as Kitty Forman in the sitcom That ’70s Show (1998–2006) and That ’90s Show as well as memorable supporting roles such as Jerry’s agent in Seinfeld and in movies such as She’s Out of my League. Rupp also has a long theatrical resume including as Dr. Ruth Westheimer in the plays Dr. Ruth, All the Way (2012) and Becoming Dr. Ruth (2013), for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for outstanding solo performance.

But Driving Miss Daisy is a true ensemble piece.

Thomas, whose 40-year career spans television, film and stage, including Broadway, delves deep into Hoke. Thomas shows a man who has had to deal with being in service to others, generally white families, all his life. But Thomas shows that Hoke has refused to give up his dignity or pride. Thomas illustrates that Hoke’s affection for Daisy is real. But he also isn’t afraid to speak him mind and tell Daisy what she needs to know, even if she balks. Thomas brings chills as Hoke recounts a childhood memory.

Korinko, co-founder of Slow Burn Theatre Company in Fort Lauderdale, delivers a strong, heartfelt approach to Boolie, exhibiting both his deep love for his mother and his frustration with her. Anyone who has dealt with an aging parent understands the frustration trying to get them to listen and face the realities of aging and the fear of witnessing this. Korinko endearingly taps into this, making us see how much Boolie cares about his mother. Korinko elevates every role he is in. Watch how Korinko illustrates Boolie’s conflict at publicly taking a right stance that might be unpopular and lead to a backlash because he is Jewish businessman. A valid concern considering Atlanta history.

Bert Scott’s scaled-back scenic design works well allowing even more focus on the actors and the script. A sofa, chair and a couple of tables serve as Daisy’s modest living room, a desk as Boolie’s office with an effective steering wheel and a few chairs as the car in the center. Adding to the production values are Brian O’Keefe’s costumes, and, making their Dramaworks debut are John Wolf (lighting design), Alexander Sovronsky (sound design), and Tim Brown (projection design).

Driving Miss Daisy is the first play in Uhry’s Atlanta Trilogy that explored aspects of Jewish life during the 20^th century. The second play, The Last Night of Ballyhoo (1996) occurs during 1939 when Gone With the Wind’s premiere coincided with an important social event for Jewish families; it received the Tony Award for best play. Rounding out the trilogy is Uhry’s 1998 musical Parade about the 1913 trial of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank accused of murdering a teenage worker.

Driving Miss Daisy runs through March 1 at Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Running time is 95 minutes without an intermission. Performance times vary. Tickets cost $95. Students with valid K-12 or college IDs pay $15 and anyone less than 40 with a photo ID pays $40. Half-price tickets are available for educators and active military personnel with valid IDs, though other restrictions could apply. Group rates available. For information, call 561-514-4042 or visit palmbeachdramaworks.org.