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Camelot steers 'Miss Daisy' through deceptively poignant production
REVIEW — "Driving Miss Daisy," Alfred Uhry's multiple award-winning play, is deceptively straightforward. On the surface, "Driving Miss Daisy" is a sweet and sentimental look at friendship. But always present, always just beyond appearances, is the ever-present shadow of racism and prejudice.
If you go By Roberta Kent What: "Driving Miss Daisy" Posted Feb. 2, 2014 @ 2:00 am Where: Camelot Theatre, 101 Talent Ave., Updated Feb 5, 2014 at 11:01 AM Talent. When: Through March 2; curtain is at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. "Driving Miss Daisy," Alfred Uhry's multiple Sundays. award-winning play, is deceptively Tickets: $25, $23 ... straightforward. On the surface, "Driving Miss » Read more Daisy" is a sweet and sentimental look at friendship. But always present, always just beyond appearances, is the ever-present shadow of racism and prejudice.
It takes a deft hand to keep the play's genuine warmth and humor the main focus while neither losing nor overemphasizing the dark undercurrents.
Camelot Theatre's production of "Driving Miss Daisy" does just that. Intelligently directed by Paul R. Jones and starring the remarkable Shirley Patton and the equally remarkable Steven Dominguez, with the strong support of Roy Von Rains, Jr., this "Daisy" pulls no punches.
It is Atlanta in 1948. Daisy Werthan is a 72-year-old wealthy, Jewish widow. An unfortunate COUPON OF THE WEEK accident — she destroys a neighbor's garage — shows she no longer has the reflexes to safely Save 50% or more on drive her car. Her son Boolie, a prominent businessman, hires Hoke Coleburn, a middle-aged LimelightDeals.com African-American chauffeur to drive her around town. Visit limelightdeals.com/deal/southern- oregon to view deals that will... LimelightDeals.com "Miss Daisy" is, at first, reluctant to allow Hoke to drive her. Over the intervening years, from SEE ALL ONLINE TODAY MORE >> 1948 to 1973, as Hoke becomes an indispensable part of Daisy's life, the two become genuine friends on an almost — but never quite — equal basis. Save $50 on our Nano Peel Renew Medical Spa at Medical Eye Center
It is touching that Hoke becomes devoted to Miss Daisy. But, while she is truly fond of him, it is Buy 2 Obagi Radiant Blue Peels, get 1 free! (Save $125) painfully obvious that she never discusses his life away from his job or asks about his family. Renew Medical Spa at Medical Eye Center
Racism and prejudice against Hoke is present, of course, but also against the Werthans as Jews. $10 Off Any Service TC Chevy Hoke makes a point to Boolie that he doesn't think Jews are cheap. Daisy casually asserts that black servants take things. Boolie is careful never to appear "Jewish" among his business Free Dessert Cicily's Pastaria & Grill colleagues. Happy Hour Appetizer Prices Anytime With But that sort of casual prejudice is an inconvenience. It is synagogue bombings and lynchings, both of which Daisy and Hoke witnessed, that put their experiences of the emerging South into sharper focus. TOP JOBS Care Giver~Group Home All shifts Patton's Daisy is beautifully balanced between empathetic and exasperating. We can see her MEDFORD, or Classifieds frustration at her loss of independence and sense of self-sufficiency and can almost sympathize Taj Indian Restaurant, LLC in with her unthinking selfishness and rudeness as her world becomes more and more constricted. ASHLAND, or Classifieds
Dominguez' independent and dignified Hoke matches her performance, as does Rains' amusingly Rogue Valley CPA firm seeks well conflicted Boolie. Classifieds
AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS AIRPORT Production values, as always at Camelot, are professional. Don Zastoupil's spare set, with MEDFORD, or Classifieds groupings of chairs, desks and the prominent "car," along with Tatiana Watkins' lighting design, keeps the action moving briskly. Donna Boehm's costumes provide a sense of place and period, More Top Jobs as do the wigs by Virginia Carol Hudson. Brian O'Connor provided amusingly apt period music.
Uhry's play opened off-Broadway in 1987, starring Dana Ivey and Morgan Freeman, and earned him a Pulitzer Prize for dramatic writing. His screenplay for the subsequent 1989 film with TOP HOMES Jessica Tandy and Freeman garnered an Academy Award for best screenplay adaptation. Central Point, Oregon - 559,900 - Hard to find, close in, 3.10 acres located at the end of quiet "Driving Miss Daisy" was revived on Broadway in 2010 with Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl road. Central Point address but Medford school Jones. district. Pastures, great small...
In some ways, the gentle "Driving Miss Daisy" was a precursor of Lee Daniels' "The Butler," Medford, Oregon - $359,900 - New home under depicting how social awareness of inequality grew over the last half of the 20th century. Change construction in desirable East Medford's Vista Pointe. The home features nine foot ceilings is subtle, life goes on, and we start noticing the little things — and stop taking those things for throughout and eleven foot in the... granted. "Driving Miss Daisy" is a play about our past, our present and, perhaps, our future, with a pleasant sugar coating to make the medicine go down. More Top Homes
The play runs through March 2 at Camelot Theatre, 101 Talent Ave., Talent. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets cost $25, $23 for seniors and students (except for Sunday matinees). Reserved seating is available for an additional $2 per ticket. For details, see www.camelottheatre.org or call 541-535-5250.
Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email her at [email protected]. » STAY INFORMED
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