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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Driving Miss Daisy Also see Susan's reviews of Three Sistahs, Evita and Awake and Sing!
The important thing about staging Driving Miss Daisy is not to let it dissolve into cuteness or treat the characters as anything less than fully rounded human beings. Director Jennifer L. Nelson understands this, and it helps that she's working with two of the best actors in the Washington area. (The third actor, Ron Heneghan, is new to Ford's but is no slouch either.) While Uhry's play can be seen as a parable about acceptance and looking beyond surfaces, that shortchanges the actual drama and comedy in the friction between Daisy Wertham (Robinette), a 72-year-old woman determined to take care of herself, and Hoke Coleburn (Wallace), the African-American chauffeur hired by Daisy's son Boolie (Heneghan) after she wrecks her car. Daisy is a Jewish woman living in Atlanta in 1948, and her attitudes toward African Americans undergo subtle changes over the 25 years covered in the play. Robinette has received five Helen Hayes Awards over the years, and here she demonstrates what she can do with subtle gestures and well-focused facial expressions. She's indomitable, yes, but also willing to bend and change—while never acknowledging she's doing so. Wallace is appropriately grave and respectful, but he lets the hidden depths show on occasion. Heneghan, meanwhile, plays the cautious, risk-averse businessman who can't just say how he feels about anything. Tony Cisek's minimalist scenic design allows for easy shifting among pieces of furniture and a succession of upholstered car seats, assisted by Dan Covey's understated lighting design and Elisheba Ittoop's scene-setting sound design. Ford's Theatre
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