Review: Driving Miss Daisy

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Driving Miss Daisy.
My Mum had seen the film of Driving Miss Daisy many years ago and had a memory of really enjoying it, so she suggested visiting the play on its UK Tour at Richmond Theatre, where it had stopped off for a week. My knowledge of the show was fairly limited, however before seeing it I was able to search a brief synopsis of the play.

Driving Miss Daisy follows Daisy Werthan, an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, who is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie, arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke Colburn. Daisy and Hoke's relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions. For the most part, the play is a comedy, however that doesn't stop the show covering sensitive issues. Driving Miss Daisy deals with issues of anti-simetism, racism, dementia, along with many others. All of these issues are excellently portrayed and are handled very well. The storyline of Driving Miss Daisy was extremely touching, and the final scene of the play even moved me to tears, which is something that rarely happens nowadays. In addition to this, Driving Miss Daisy was in fact a true story, and that gives the play a lot more significance, as it gives an insight to what life was like for certain people in that time period. The writing of Driving Miss Daisy is superb and has a great deal of depth to it.

All three cast members were phenomenal! Siân Phillips' portrayal of Daisy Werthan was captivating, moving and flawless. Driving Miss Daisy follows a period of 25 years, and thanks to Siân's wonderful acting, the change and progression of the character is quite clear. Derek Griffiths' performance of Hoak Colburn was amazing; it was impossible not to like the character. The role of Hoak demands a lot of versatility, and fortunately this is something that Derek is able to pull off. Despite not having as large a role as his co-stars, Teddy Kempner as Boolie Werthan gave a memorable, noteworthy and all round fantastic performance. All three actors kept the show alive from beginning to end. It was their performances that kept my attention from beginning to end. It was a joy to watch such experienced actors.

It is not often that I notice direction within a show, however it was clear that this production of Driving Miss Daisy was in the hands of a very good director. Richard Beecham has done wonders for this production and his work was very noticeable. The lighting and costume design were also very good, and complimented the show well.

The featured star of Driving Miss Daisy is, drum roll please... SIÂN PHILLIPS!

This was an incredibly hard decision, as all three actors were sublime. I turned to my Mum for advice on this decision, as I found it too hard to choose. I began the play disliking the character of Daisy, however as the play went on I couldn't help but adore her. This was due to Siân's phenomenal acting, who very clearly shows the progression of the character throughout 25 years. 

Now for my final verdict on Driving Miss Daisy. I give Driving Miss Daisy...

This decision was easy for me; I had no doubt in my mind that this would be anything below a 4 star. I throughly enjoyed every moment of the show and I wish the production the best of luck for the rest of the tour.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer