Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Driving Miss Daisy” returns to the Sierra Madre Playouse stage opening Friday, January 18, 2013. Directed by Christian Lebano the cast includes Mary Lou Rosato (veteran of eleven shows on Broadway; Drama Desk Award winner for her performance in “The School For Scandal”) and Willie C. Carpenter (from the new TV series “1600 Penn”). Brad Reed and Mitch Ward round out the cast. Executive producer Estelle Campbell is executive producer and Sherrie Lofton is associate producer.
“Driving Miss Daisy” is set mostly in Atlanta, Georgia between 1948 (just before the dawn of the Civil Rights Era) and 1973 and chronicles the relationship between fiercely independent Daisy Werthan, an affluent Jewish widow, and her African-American chauffeur, Hoke Coleburn, hired by Daisy’s son when she can no longer drive herself. Their working relationship begins with difficulty. They eventually achieve a warm friendship.
Concerns of both class and race leave their mark in the narrative. So do historical events, such as the bombing of Atlanta’s largest synagogue by the Confederate Underground in 1958 along with the Citizens of Atlanta dinner celebrating Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Lebano directed the critically acclaimed production of “Woman in Mind” and appeared in leading roles in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “Our Town.” He has directed shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee and San Diego. He will bring a depth of vision and imagination to “Driving Miss Daisy” as he did to “Woman in Mind.”
“Driving Miss Daisy” opens 8 p.m. January 18 and performs 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday through March 9. The Gala opening night performance on Friday, January 18 will be followed by a Champagne reception and light buffet. Admission is $25, seniors (65+) and students (13-17) $22 and children 12 and under $15. Call 626-355-4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org
Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre. Ample free parking is available behind theater.
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