Review Roundup: DRIVING MISS DAISY

It's an opportunity to see acting legends James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave together on stage when they star in one of the most beloved and celebrated American stories of the late twentieth century, Driving Miss Daisy, which will have its Broadway premiere this fall. Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play (later adapted into an Oscar-winning film) is a timeless, searing, funny, and ultimately hopeful meditation on race relations in America, told through the complex relationship between Daisy Werthan (Redgrave) and her driver Hoke Colburn (Jones), two of popular culture's most enduring characters.

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: Ms. Redgrave plays the title character, and Mr. Jones her chauffeur, in David Esbjornson's revival of Alfred Uhry's 1987 play. If the production's stars feel squeezed or confined by what is a very slender work, they never let on. They give responsible, intelligent performances that are infused with two old pros' joy in the mastery of their craft. And they pull off the deft trick of registering as big as we want them to be without making the play in which they appear seem even smaller than it is.

Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal: With that sole exception, this is as fine a production of "Driving Miss Daisy" as I can imagine. It is so fine, in fact, that I was astonished to be reminded that this is the play's Broadway premiere: The whole of its original 1,195-performance run in New York took place first at Playwrights Horizons and then at the John Houseman Theatre. Fortunately, it is being mounted in one of Broadway's most intimate and well-proportioned spaces, the 804-seat John Golden Theatre. This means, however, that tickets for the 16-week limited engagement of "Driving Miss Daisy" are going to be hard to obtain, so do whatever you have to do to get one. Perhaps some hotshot at PBS will get the bright idea to tape the production-it would look terrific on TV-but I wouldn't count on it.

Mark Kennedy, Associated Press: Sometimes massive, earthshaking events require - even demand - that they be depicted on stage with an equally vast canvas. And sometimes all you need is a can of salmon.

Elysa Gardner, USA Today: Neither Jones nor Redgrave loses the regal bearing we have long attributed to them; rather, they channel it to suggest the dignity of seemingly ordinary characters. In doing so, they remind us that great acting can transcend not only life but art as well.

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: Still, despite any quibbles, it remains a pleasure to watch these two old pros at work, and Gaines, as usual, is an absolute delight, more than keeping up with his older co-stars.

Marilyn Stasio, Variety: There are lessons to be learned from this revival of "Driving Miss Daisy," the 1987 play about the unorthodox friendship between a white Southern lady and her black chauffeur that won a Pulitzer Prize for Alfred Uhry (and an Oscar for Jessica Tandy when she and Morgan Freeman starred in the movie). Lesson No. 1 (duh) is that Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones could do this show buried up to their necks in a pit and still break your heart. Lesson No. 2 has to do with how radically the dynamics change when age-appropriate performers are cast in the roles. Still astonishing at 73, Redgrave has the age as well as the regal stature to play Daisy Werthan, the imperious and extremely vital Jewish matron who is 72 when the play opens in 1948 Atlanta. Holding herself tall and taking long, athletic strides, the statuesque thesp lets us know that this old lady has the physical stamina to support her sharp mind and independent spirit.

Scott Brown, NY Magazine: Apart from Gaines, we're treated to two very famous voices, and very little else. John Lee Beatty's scenic design is a sepia box, a few sticks of furniture and a staircase: Video projections of historical moments through the decades fill the substantial void for anyone who might decide, mid-play, he'd rather be home, Netflix-ing the film version. And when the lights are at general-wash, the whole thing looks strangely scuffed and ugly, a cross between a half-vacated college dorm and one of the nicer basements from the Saw series. I felt like I was watching a hastily organized radio play, and half expected a station-break from the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band.

Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News: At just 90 minutes, "Driving Miss Daisy" is a theatrical spin around the block - a pleasantly starlit but unchallenging trip down memory lane.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post:Granted, you often wish the show bared more teeth instead of settling into comfortable, sepia-toned banter. But for better or for worse, this is not that kind of play, and this is not that kind of production. Besides, a soft touch can also leave an impact. Just look at the last scene, when Miss Daisy is mentally and physically fragile, in a wheelchair.

John Simon, Bloomberg News: With three great actors -- Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines -- at their apogee, the enchanting revival of "Driving Miss Daisy" is the best theater can be.

Matt Windman, AM New York: While Redgrave barely comes across as a southern Jewish woman, she convincingly stresses Daisy's restless spirit. Jones, on the other hand, provides a congenial counterpart with an undercurrent of pain. Gaines, as Daisy's son, is credibly worn-out and frustrated by his mother's relentless demands.