The Lansing Civic Players showcase backseat driving at its best.
"Driving Miss Daisy," which opened at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, last weekend, is the frequently adapted story of a growing friendship between two polar opposites, breaking down prejudices.
The play, directed by D.J. Morgan, begins in 1948 where Daisy Werthan, an elderly Jewish woman living in Atlanta, can no longer drive and is struggling to maintain her growing loss of independence. Daisy, skillfully played by Althea Phillips, isn't as sweet as her name suggests. Stubborn and opinionated, she resists any change in her life and argues with her son, Boolie, played by David Heckman, that she is capable of handling things on her own.
Boolie insists she allow him to hire a driver to help her run errands. Ralph Sims plays Hoke, Daisy Werthan's friendly and unassuming black chauffeur, who uses his simple charm to chip at Werthan's tough exterior.
Phillips gives the cast's strongest performance. She showcases her ability to express the frustrations of an aging woman trying to keep her independence. In less than an hour, she was able to convince the audience that she had aged 20 years.
While Phillips' talents breathe life to the play, it doesn't make up for the lackluster on-stage chemistry with her co-star, Sims. At times, it seems as though Sims is merely reciting lines out into the audience, which makes it hard to notice a significant transition from the chauffeur relationship to one of friends.
Much of the play's humor results from Hoke's persistence to earn his wage and help Werthan, despite her initial hostility.
The play is leisurely paced, but not slow. Each scene ends with Hoke's hilarious quips to Daisy about her refusal to accept the obvious.
Taking place upon a modest set consisting of a car and two small living rooms, "Driving Miss Daisy" relies on the actors themselves to depict the passage of time.
The play concluded just as it had begun - slowly and without significant emotional attachment. Because the play encompassed such a large span of time, it was difficult to look too deeply into Daisy and Hoke's friendship, based instead on mere snippets of dialogue from the passing years.
Although the production does not showcase the same strong performances as Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy in the film adaptation of the play, Phillips' performance does give the movie a run for its money.
This version of "Driving Miss Daisy" might not drive all audiences crazy, but the strong acting performances and powerful theme of forging friendships despite prejudices is worth viewing.
