Driving Miss Daisy
Vanessa Redgrave & James Earl Jones were both phenomenal of course. The sets were very minimal-table, chairs, and seats & a steering wheel to mimic the car. There was a projection onto the blank back wall to show each new location. They left the script exactly as it was, so the show is very similar to the movie. Although there were a lot of laughs, I found the overall story very depressing. I know it has to be that way, that it’s very accurate for that time period, etc. But it’s just painful to watch, such as when the James Earl Jones character bares his soul to Vanessa’s character about a lynching he witnessed as a child, and she just can’t understand how this is the same thing as what she is experiencing (she’s Jewish, and her temple has just been destroyed by racist creeps). Overall it was a simple but beautiful production that I’m glad I caught before it closed.