Driving Miss Daisy is a play by American playwright Alfred Uhry, about the relationship of an elderly Southern Jewish woman, Daisy Werthan, and her African-American chauffeur, Hoke Coleburn, from 1948 to 1973. The play was the first in Uhry's Atlanta Trilogy, which deals with Jewish residents of that city in the early 20th century. The play won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Synopsis 1948 Atlanta, Georgia. A crash is heard, and Daisy Werthan, age 72, is in her living room, with her son Boolie, age 40. She has crashed her car, and Boolie insists that she have a driver. Boolie is in his office and interviews Hoke Coleburn who is a black man of around 60. He is unemployed. Over the next 25 years Hoke drives "Miss Daisy". They are initially wary of each other, and Hoke puts up with the somewhat crotchety Miss Daisy with dignity. She teaches Hoke to read when she learns that he cannot, which comes naturally to her, having been a teacher. Over the years, they form a bond. In the final scene, Miss Daisy is in a nursing home for increasing memory loss, but is lucid enough to tell Hoke, who has come to visit her, that he is her best friend.

Background The play was inspired by Alfred Uhry's grandmother, Lena Fox, her chauffeur, Will Coleman, and his father. His grandmother, a Jewish woman who lived in Atlanta during the 1960s, had to give up driving after a car accident, and hired Coleman, who drove her for 25 years.

Uhry wrote his Atlanta Trilogy based on his own experiences living in Atlanta as a Jew. He set his three plays in the context of major events that happened in Atlanta: Parade, based on the 1913–1915 trial and eventual lynching of Leo Frank; The Last Night of Ballyhoo, following the events at the city's 1939 Gone With the Wind premiere; and Driving Miss Daisy, addressing the impacts associated with the 1958 Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple bombing and the city’s dinner honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s October 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.

Historical casting Character 1987 Off-Broadway cast 1st National Tour cast 2nd National Tour cast 1989 Film cast Original West End cast 2010 Broadway cast West End revival cast Australian Tour Cast Daisy Werthan Dana Ivey Julie Harris Rosemary Prinz Jessica Tandy Wendy Hiller Vanessa Redgrave Angela Lansbury Hoke Coleburn Morgan Freeman Brock Peters Ted Lange Morgan Freeman Clarke Peters James Earl Jones Boolie Werthan Ray Gill Stephen Root Fred Sanders Dan Aykroyd Barry Foster Boyd Gaines

Production history

Off-Broadway (1987–1990) The original Off-Broadway production was staged at Playwrights Horizons Studio Theatre on 42nd Street, opening on April 15, 1987.Uhry, Alfred. Driving Miss Daisy, p. 4, Dramatists Play Service, Inc. Directed by Ron Lagomarsino, the role of Daisy was also played by Rochelle Oliver and Frances Sternhagen, replacing Dana Ivey.Driving Miss Daisy playwrightshorizons.org, accessed November 8, 2015 It later transferred to the John Houseman Theatre, closing on June 3, 1990, with 1,195 performances.Brantley, Ben. "Stooped and a Bit Slow, but Still Standing Tall", The New York Times, October 25, 2010.

US. National Tours and Regional National Tours were launched starting in 1988. Julie Harris was the Daisy for the 1st National Tour. Rosemary Prinz also played the role in a second tour.

The first production in Chicago was also a long-running production, originally starring Sada Thompson. Ellen Burstyn, Charlotte Rae, and Dorothy Loudon also played Miss Daisy as replacements.

West End (1988) The play was produced in London's West End in 1988 at the Apollo Theatre with Wendy Hiller as Miss Daisy.

1992 Television cast In 1992, the play was filmed for television as a possible series. This production starred Joan Plowright as Miss Daisy, with Robert Guillaume as Hoke and Saul Rubinek as Boolie.

Broadway (2010–2011) In October 2010, The play was staged for the first time on Broadway. The play opened on October 25, 2010, at the John Golden Theatre; the run was later extended and Driving Miss Daisy closed on April 9, 2011,Healy, Patrick, "Driving Ms. Redgrave Through a Reluctant Conversation", The New York Times, February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011 after 20 previews and 180 performances. Maureen Anderman was Redgrave's understudy. It recouped its initial investment of $2.6 million on December 21, 2010, making it the first show of the 2010/2011 season to do so.Gans, Andrew. "Driving Miss Daisy Recoups Investment" playbill.com, December 21, 2010. The show was the top-grossing Broadway play in the week ending January 16, 2011.Samelson, Judy. "Chart Toppers: Top-Grossing Broadway Productions, Week of January 10–16" . Playblog. January 21, 2011.

West End revival (2011) The production played at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End with the same cast, beginning previews on September 26, 2011, opening on October 5, 2011, and closing on December 17, 2011. "Driving Miss Daisy to Park in London in Fall 2011" by Robert Viagas, Playbill, 12 June 2011

UK tour (2012–13) The show toured UK theatres from October 2012 until April 2013, starring Gwen Taylor, Don Warrington, and Ian Porter."Driving Miss Daisy tours UK with Gwen Taylor & Don Warrington" by Stephanie Soh, whatsonstage.com, 12 June 2012

Australian tour (2013) The Broadway production of Driving Miss Daisy toured Australia from February 9 to June 16, 2013, starring Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines.Gans, Andrew. Gaines Will Join James Earl Jones and "Angela Lansbury for Driving Miss Daisy in Australia" Playbill, October 12, 2012 This production was filmed and broadcast on PBS Great Performances.Gans, Andrew. "Stage Version of Driving Miss Daisy, Starring Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones, Filmed for Distribution" Playbill, January 24, 2014"Driving Miss Daisy" pbs.org, accessed November 8, 2015

Awards and honors Year Award Category Nominee Result1987Obie AwardBest PerformanceDana Ivey1988Outer Circle Critics AwardBest Off-Broadway PlayBest Actress in a PlayDana IveyBest DirectorRon Lagomarsino Pulitzer PrizeDrama 2011Tony AwardBest Actress in a PlayVanessa Redgrave

Film adaptation

Uhry adapted his play into the screenplay for a 1989 film of the same name starring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Aykroyd. All three actors were nominated for Academy Awards, with Tandy winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film received nine nominations total, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Uhry also won an Academy Award for his screenplay.

References

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