Angela Lansbury James Earl Jones
in
DRIVING MISS DAISY
The theatrical event of 2013 will tour to Adelaide!
What a wonderful play, so well written and performed with such finesse! Driving Miss Daisy, is a modest play with only three characters yet it involves one of the most bold historic waves of change in the modern history of human kind... as Daisy Werthan and Hoke Colburn negotiate their way around each other, the world is shifting in the background.
As Daisy Angela Lansbury is remarkable for her physical and emotional clarity; you can instantly tell that this is a highly accomplished performer who relies on simplicity and gesture to reveal her character's inner feelings. As if it is not wonderful enough to have such a grand star as this we also have the fantastic James Earl Jones in the role of Hoke and what a force he is. Each word and gesture clear as day; and all of the deeply inground mannerisms of a man born into a world where slavery is a generation back, subservience a way of life. So moving for the silence and pause.
Stories as strong as a much loved relative seen hanging from a tree at an early age are told with humanity and grace in such a way as to simply show the human depth of emotion and baggage that lasts a lifetime from early years - yet the production or players never force their hand on the subject - it merely is; which makes it all the more emotionally satisfying and effective.
I certainly found the play deeply moving yet never syrupy or over sweet. It packs a punch, but it's a gently delivered smack in the face that makes one rejoyce that things have changed somewhat since the 1940s... even if things do seem to change so very very gradually.
The gentle relationship between the two main characters set against a backdrop of human right evolution in the USA is completely watchable, enjoyable and infused with just the right cadence of theatricality. It is not the film, nor does it attempt to use the film in any way, yet it does employ excellent multi-media elements to tell the bigger story that is happening outside of the intimate world of these two characters.
Truly a most wonderful night in the theatre.
- David Jobling
Starring two of the world's greatest living actors - five-time Tony Award and three-time Academy Award nominee
Angela Lansbury and two-time Tony Award winner and Academy Award winner
James Earl Jones, alongside four time Tony Award winner
Boyd Gaines.
A timeless American play, which inspired the beloved Academy Award-winning film,
Driving Miss Daisy tells the affecting story of the decades-long relationship between an elderly Southern Jewish woman, Daisy Werthan, and her compassionate African- American chauffeur, Hoke Colburn. Their iconic tale of pride, changing times and the transformative power of friendship has warmed the hearts of millions worldwide.
Driving Miss Daisy has recently played sell-out seasons on Broadway and in the West End, directed by
David Esbjornson and featuring
James Earl Jones and
Boyd Gaines.
Angela Lansbury and
James Earl Jones have most recently been performing together in the Broadway production of
Gore Vidal's The Best Man.
"The Brisbane premiere season is almost sold out, so we have persuaded Angela and James to bring Driving Miss Daisy to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth," said producer
John Frost.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Australian audiences to see three of the finest actors in the world today, Broadway and Hollywood royalty, in one of the most enduring and popular stage plays of our time. Rarely in our lifetime do we get to see such experience, such talent, on an Australian stage. As the New York and London reviews have said; race, don't walk to get a ticket, as Driving Miss Daisy is unmissable!"
Angela Lansbury has garnered many of the industry's top awards in film, theatre and television in a career that has now spanned seven decades.
Nominated for three Oscars including one for her feature film debut in
Gaslight (1944), she has continued to build a dazzling and varied body of work on film (The Manchurian Candidate, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Disney's Beauty and the Beast), television (Murder She Wrote, Law and Order) and stage (Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Blythe Spirit, A Little Night Music, Hamlet, All Over).
James Earl Jones's voice is known by people of all ages and walks of life - the
Star Wars fans who know him as the
voice of Darth Vader, children who know him as Mufasa from Disney's The Lion King. Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957, and has conquered Shakespeare (Othello, Macbeth, King Lear) as well as stage classics (The Iceman Cometh, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, On Golden Pond), film (Dr. Strangelove, The Hunt for Red October, Cry the Beloved Country, Field of Dreams) and television (Roots: The Next Generation, Two and a Half Men, House). This year he was honoured with an Honorary Oscar in recognition of his long and distinguished career.
Boyd Gaines is currently receiving rave reviews in An Enemy of the People on Broadway, and was previously seen on Broadway in The Columnist with John Lithgow. Other stage credits include Herbie in Gypsy (Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), Twelve Angry Men, Cabaret, Company and Contact (Tony Award, Lucille Lortel Awards), film roles include Funny Games, Heartbreak Ridge and Fame, and television appearances include The Good Wife, LA Law, Frasier and Law and Order.
"A PERFECT NIGHT ON BROADWAY. This production is SO RICH AND REAL. It's as FINE A PRODUCTION AS I CAN IMAGINE. JAMES EARL JONES IS GIVING A PERFORMANCE THAT IS GOING TO BE TALKED ABOUT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE... BOYD GAINES IS ONE OF THE BEST STAGE ACTORS WE HAVE. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT STAR QUALITY MEANS, THIS IS IT. Tickets are going to be hard to obtain, so DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET ONE."
Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal
"THIS ENCHANTING REVIVAL IS THE BEST THEATER CAN BE. ALFRED UHRY'S PLAY is ABSOLUTELY HONEST and BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN about real people learning as they live, caught on the wing by an author who has something very human to say. THE ACTING IS SIMPLY SUPERB."
John Simon, Bloomberg News
"A THEATRICAL MASTERPIECE. TRULY MAGNIFICENT"
The Courier Mail
COMEDY THEATRE, MELBOURNE
Season: 5 April - 12 May 2013
Performance Times: Wed - Sat 8pm, Matinees Tues & Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm & Sun 3pm
Price: From $89.90*
Bookings:
Ticketmaster.com.au or phone 1300 111 011
Groups 12 call 1300 889 278
HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE, ADELAIDE
Season: 17 May - 2 June 2013
Performance Times: Wed - Sat 7.30pm, Matinees Tues & Wed 1.30pm, Sat 2pm & Sun 3pm
Price: From $89.90*
Bookings:
Bass.net.au or phone 131 246
Groups 12 call 08 8205 2220
HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE PERTH
Season: 8 - 19 June 2013
Performance Times: Tues 7pm, Wed - Sat 8pm, Matinees Wed 1pm & Sat 2pm, Sun 9 June 1 & 6pm, Sun 16 June 3pm
Price: From $69.90*
Bookings:
ticketek.com.au or 1300 795 012
Groups 10 call 1300 364 001
* An additional transaction fee and/or a credit/debit payment processing fee may apply
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