Having Driven Miss Daisy

Back from yesterday's Ford's Theatre matinee of Driving Miss Daisy, starring local favorites Nancy Robinette and Craig Wallace.

promotion art for Driving Miss Daisy, Ford's Theatre

Like the theatrical ballet Chéri over at the Kennedy Center, Daisy covered the arc of a relationship, principally between two people but supplemented with a third-party narrative thread weaver--in this case, Daisy's dutiful but condescending son Boolie (new to Ford's Ron Heneghan).

I was familiar with the film version of Daisy but hadn't seen it in a while. Fortunately, the lady sitting behind me was helpfully providing her companion information about what she remembered would be coming up in several scenes. [/sarcasm]

Unlike the movie, though, the stage production extracted the essential drama out of a realistic environment and placed these crucial moments on small vignettes, smoothly driven on and off stage on gliding platforms. The feel of the play was thus more like a series of memories.

Nancy Robinette ("Miss Daisy") and Craig Wallace ("Hoke"). Production photography by Scott Suchman, via Ford's Theatre

As interesting as Nancy Robinette always is to watch, it was Wallace's embodiment of "Hoke" that really impressed me. His voice for Hoke was as strong as that for his Frederick Douglass, which brought all the more dignity to a role so vastly different from the latter.

Despite the vignette-to-vignette "memory" feel of this production, I liked the realism in the characters' interaction; they actually acted with each other. In some shows I've seen in recent years (Carpetbagger's Children, ReEntry), the actors seem to be standing alone or talking out over the audience's head to an unseen character, even though their fellow dramatis personae are standing next to them. What's that about?

As always, I was impressed with the economical creativity of staging at Ford's (credit scenic designer Tony Cisek), a stage that never seems as small as it is. And I was delighted to find at least one more good seat in the house besides the one up in the dress circle that seemed to work for me. Sight lines are bad almost throughout the theater, especially when the tall tourists are in town. So, gentle readers, please save L-1 in the orchestra for me. Thanks.

Ford's Theatre | 511 10th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Driving Miss Daisy
by Alfred Uhry; directed by Jennifer L. Nelson
September 26-October 26, 2014

Love, hosaa
A seat with a view

Errant Heirs, Apparently

Back from last night's invited dress rehearsal for The Heir Apparent at Shakespeare Theatre's lovely Lansburgh venue on 7th Street.

The early 18th-century French farce by Jean-Francois Regnard (1655-1709) retained period costuming, while the text (all verse) had a complete 21st-century American makeover. Incongruous at first, but delivered with such energy and daffy deftness that it kept the audience roaring for just over two hours.

The brains of the operation (which was to extract a will from miserly Uncle Geronte that favored the Bertie Woosterish nephew Eraste) was the quick-thinking (and self-serving) valet Crispin, played with winking naughtiness by Carson Elrod.

The set design by Alexander Dodge was a character in itself. I hope it isn't too much of a spoiler to say that the big ugly clock--as noisy and elaborate in its machinery as it was fascinating in its ornate face design (Deco? Nouveau? Rococo-koo-koo?)--had personality that demanded its own plot point.

The play officially opens September 12 and runs through October 23. See it.

Credits as follows:

The Heir Apparent
Adapted by David Ives from the comedy by Jean-Francois Regnard
Directed by Michael Kahn

Crispin: Carson Elrod
Geronte: Floyd King
Eraste: Andrew Veenstra
Lisette: Kelly Hutchinson
Isabelle: Meg Chambers Steedle
Madame Argante: Nancy Robinette
Scruple: Clark Middleton

Set Designer: Alexander Dodge
Costume Designer: Murell Horton
Lighting Designer: Philip Rosenberg
Sound Designer: Christopher Blaine
Composer: Adam Wernick


Meet the cast event at Shakespeare Theatre: (left to right)
Playwright David Ives with the cast: Andrew Veenstra, Nancy Robinette, Carson Elrod, Meg Chambers Steedle, Floyd King, Kelly Hutchinson and Clark Middleton.

credit: Shakespeare Theatre