Angela Lansbury & James Earl Jones-Led DRIVING MISS DAISY to Open in Brisbane This February

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones will lead an Australian premiere of DRIVING MISS DAISY next winter. According to Courier Mail, the show is set to open at The Playhouse Theatre at QPAC on February 5. Events Queensland's John O'Sullivan commented: "These are two superstars in every definition of the word and this is a testament to the fact that the city is recognised nationally and internationally as a cultural event city in its own right."

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The play, written by Alfred Uhry and directed by David Esbjornson, enjoyed a record breaking sell-out run on Broadway followed by a West End run, both starring Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. Design is by John Lee Beatty, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting is by Peter Kaczorowski , music by Mark Bennett and sound by Christopher Cronin. 

Driving Miss Daisy was written by Alfred Uhry in 1987 and debuted Off-Broadway at the Playwrights Horizons Theater. Two years later the play was made into a film with Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy. Uhry received an Oscar® for ‘Best Adapted Screenplay' while the film was awarded ‘Best Picture'.

When Daisy Werthan, a widowed, 72 year-old Jewish woman living in midcentury Atlanta, is deemed too old to drive, her son Boolie hires Hoke Coleburn, an African American man, to serve as her chauffeur. What begins as a troubled and hostile pairing soon blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that transcends all the societal boundaries placed between them.

Alfred Uhry is an award winning playwright who has won a Pulitzer prize, an Oscar® and two Tony Awards®. His initial work as a lyricist included Here's Where I Belong and The Robber Bridegroom for which he wrote the book and lyrics. Driving Miss Daisy was his first play and was followed by The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Parade, both of which were Tony Award winning pieces and Without Walls and Edgardo Mine. He also wrote the book for Broadway musical LoveMusik.

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