Driving Miss Daisy

Okay, hands up, I burst into tears in the theatre last night. I don’t often cry in the theatre, I don’t know why, but Gwen Taylor and Don Warrington’s performance last night opened the gates and by the final curtain the tears were unashamedly rolling down my cheeks.

Made famous by the film, the original play is a cleaner, more focused affair in which the relationship between southern matriarch Daisy, her son Boolie and the chauffeur Hoke develops. Set against a background of racial inequality, Miss Daisy in no racist, if anything she is an inverted snob. Hoke becomes the calm, patient constant in her life and an extraordinary bond of friendship grows between them.

Gwen Taylor is as ever stunning, always a strong presence on stage, this time she shines in a role that sees her at her very best. Don Warrington’s understated Hoke is exactly right, the balanced patient force against her fiery temper, only once losing his cool and then to very great effect. Ian Porter adds much as the caring son and downtrodden husband, building the role where it could so easily be lost against the strength of the other two parts. Praise too for a great and effective set, simplicity and technology in perfect balance.

Running 90 minutes with no interval, the time simply glides by in an evening that is amusing, thought-provoking and emotionally charged. Director Davis Esbjornson has delivered a night at the theatre worth remembering. Now pass me the tissues.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 12 November 2012

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