Flat Rock Playhouse to Stage DRIVING MISS DAISY, 7/9-26

The Flat Rock Playhouse 2015 season will continue with the Pulitzer Prize winning Driving Miss Daisy, which will run from July 9th through July 26th at the Playhouse Downtown.

After demolishing yet another car, Daisy Werthan, a 72 year old, wealthy, Jewish woman of Atlanta, Georgia, is forced to rely on the services of a hired chauffer; a thoughtful and good-natured African-American man named Hoke. Despite her rancor at the loss of her independence and initial prejudice toward her new driver, Daisy is able to develop a close, mutually dependent relationship with Hoke spanning 25 years from 1948 to 1972. Driving Miss Daisy is an evocative tribute to friendship and human dignity. Brilliantly absorbing and tender, this engaging and timeless story demonstrates the healing powers of love and friendship. Both humorous and heartwarming, Driving Miss Daisy will leave you touched and wanting more.

Driving Miss Daisy was written by Alfred Uhry in 1987 as part of his Atlanta Trilogy, which addressed issues of anti-Semitism, racism, and the American class structure and included two other plays, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Parade. Driving Miss Daisy premiered off-Broadway on April 15, 1987. It starred Dana Ivey and Morgan Freeman and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1988. Most notably, it was adapted into the 1989 film starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman and won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Driving Miss Daisy made its Broadway debut in 2010 with James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave. Its earnest depiction of American life in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s and charming humor made this play an instant classic that will make you laugh, cry and love.

"Its vignettes portray a classic clash of wills between an immovable object and an irresistible force that eventually melts into something like love." - The New York Times

"The rare kind of story whose small observations suggest large social truths without pretension, 'Driving Miss Daisy manages to make its two central characters memorably individualized even as it uses them to illustrate profound social developments." - Variety

Driving Miss Daisy will be directed by longtime Vagabond, Dave Hart, who has appeared in numerous Flat Rock Playhouse productions and, most recently, directed this spring's mega-hit Wizard of Oz - Young Performer's Edition.

Starring as the feisty and fiercely independent title character is returning Vagabond Janie Bushway. Debuting on the Flat Rock stage is Marvin Bell as Miss Daisy's devoted and caring chauffer, Hoke. Michael McCauley returns to the Rock as Daisy's son, Boolie.

Joining Hart on the production team are Dennis C. Maulden, CJ Barnwell, Rebecca Conway and Kurt Conway as the Scenic, Light, Costume and Sound designers respectively. Connie Silver will be Stage Manager with Amelia Driscoll as Assistant Stage Manager. Paul Feraldi will be designing the properties.

Driving Miss Daisy is presented by Downtown Series Sponsor Rug and Home. The Executive Producers of Driving Miss Daisy are United Community Bank, Van Winkle Law Firm and Pisgah Legal Services.

Driving Miss Daisy will run July 9th through July 26th at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. Performances Wednesday through Saturday evening at 8 PM, matinees Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $15 - 40 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

Photo by Scott Treadway | Treadshots

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