STAGE TROUPE DRIVES 'MISS DAISY' WITH DISTINCTION IN T.O.Byline: Victoria Giraud Special to the Daily News If you enjoyed the film version of "Driving Miss Daisy Driving Miss Daisy is a 1987 play by Alfred Uhry about the relationship of an elderly Southern Jewish lady shares with her African-American chauffeur, Hoke Colburn, over the span of several decades. ," don't miss the Santa Susana Santa Susana can refer to several places:
Consummately directed by Lane Davies Lane Davies (born July 31, 1950 in Dalton, Georgia) is an American actor. Personal life Davies graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with cum laude honors for his degree in speech and theater. Currently, he resides in Georgia with his family. , the production is the best of the company's wonderful season so far. The play reminds the audience in a gentle, humorous way that we need to find ways to tolerate and accept each other in our violent world. As this bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. , delightful play demonstrates, we have far more in common than we are willing to admit. With a cast of just three characters, the play takes place in Atlanta, Ga., from 1948 to 1973. Miss Daisy (Patience Cleveland), a retired teacher and well-to-do Jewish widow already in her 70s, finds her driving reflexes have deserted her. Her son Boolie (Terry Lester), a prosperous Atlanta factory owner, hires Hoke hoke tr.v. hoked, hok·ing, hokes Slang To give an impressive but artificial, false, or deceptive quality to: hoked up some phony allegations. (Beau Billingslea), an African-American, as her chauffeur. Over the next 25 years the proud, stubborn Daisy and the patient, hard-working Hoke indulge in a gentle battle of wills that reveals their strengths and weaknesses and finally their common humanity. At first Southern charm and a friendly manner belie be·lie tr.v. be·lied, be·ly·ing, be·lies 1. To picture falsely; misrepresent: "He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility" James Joyce. the undercurrents Undercurrents is:
As the years go by, Hoke's honesty, humor, loyalty and diligence gradually change Daisy's deep-down views, and in the end the now elderly Miss Daisy touchingly tells her aged driver: "Hoke, you're my best friend." The heartwarming heart·warm·ing or heart-warm·ing adj. 1. Causing gladness and pleasure. 2. Eliciting sympathy and tender feelings: a heartwarming tale. Adj. 1. performances of both Cleveland and Billingslea are finely etched and inspiring, capturing all the nuances of their very human characters. In the background, the long-suffering but patient Boolie, as skillfully portrayed by Lester, humors his mother and keeps Hoke employed. Boolie reveals himself in the end as a man of practical nature; his character does not grow and change as his mother's does. The sets are simple but effective; the costuming details, such as Boolie's plaid golf pants and Daisy's fox stole, playful reminders of times past. Make sure to catch this play. It will capture and hold your interest from beginning to end. THE FACTS WHAT: "Driving Miss Daisy," by Alfred Uhry. WHEN: Fridays, Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m., through March 10. WHERE: Forum Theatre in Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts and administrative center located in Thousand Oaks, California. It was built in 1994 on the former site of "Jungleland" at a cost of $63.8 million. , 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. COST: $20 a person, special prices for students and seniors. INFORMATION: Ticketmaster, (805) 583-8700 or (805) 497-8616. CAPTION(S): PHOTO[ordinal indicator, masculine]CHART Photo Patience Cleveland, left, and Beau Billingslea play Miss Daisy and her chauffeur, Hoke, in the Santa Susana Repertory Company production. Box (Conejo edition only) THE FACTS (See text) |
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