It’s called saving the best for last. I’m still taking in Driving Miss Daisy. Sort of like you would a good wine. Well at least that’s what I’ve told because I don’t drink wine.
This is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen. Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones were spectacular in their roles. The nuances they brought to the roles were amazing. The play starts in 1948 and ends in 1972. At the start Miss Daisy in 72 and Hoke is not much younger. The small mannerism both stars use to show that they are aging. The way they move about the stage. Their gestures and they way they talk all very gradually change over the course of the play to show they are getting older.
Two stand out scenes in the play. Miss Daisy thinks she is a 5th grade teacher again. She says to Hoke she has to find the children’s papers to grade and give back to them. She asks Hoke what he’s done with the papers. Hoke takes hold of both Miss Daisy’s arms and says very loudly there aren’t any papers. You’re not a teacher any more. If you say these things they’ll put you away. They sit down on a bench. Daisy turns to Hoke and says you’re my best friend. Hoke sort of shrugs it off. She then reaches over and grab holds of his hand and says it again you’re my best friend.
The other scene is when Miss Daisy is the nursing home. Hoke is at the house where her son, Boolie, who is packing up her possessions. Boolie says he’ll drive Hoke over to the home to see Miss Daisy. Hoke doesn’t like the fact he can’t drive any more. It makes it hard for him to see Miss Daisy. They go out to the home. Miss Daisy is in a wheel chair. From the way she carries herself and the way she talks, Miss Daisy has had a stroke. Boolie makes small talking until finally Miss Daisy says Hoke came to see her. Hoke then feeds Miss Daisy the pumpkin pie she has.
The play ends there.
They received a standing ovation. They deserved it. At the end as the audience was leaving I thought what a privilege to be able to see this play. Most of all to see two legends at the peak of their performing power.
Showing posts with label New York trip Dec. 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York trip Dec. 2010. Show all posts
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Reviews for Driving Miss Daisy
Some of the Reviews for Driving Miss Daisy
From USA Today:
Under David Esbjornson’s graceful direction, Redgrave’s Daisy and Jones’ Hoke approach each other tentatively at first, though the potential for both discord and affection is immediately obvious. As they “drive” through John Lee Beatty’s spare, elegant set — Daisy’s cars are represented by a wooden bench and chairs and a wheel attached to a base — the tension between them is not unlike that you’d expect from a couple in a romantic comedy.
For what this staging makes plain is that Daisy is a love story, however platonic. The twinkle that’s in Jones’ eye during Hoke’s witty exchanges with Boolie (played by a predictably pitch-perfect Boyd Gaines) alternately sharpens and softens when he’s with Redgrave. Similarly, Redgrave can make Daisy almost girlish in her coyness. She then becomes childlike — as the elderly, ironically, so often are — in her later, more fragile moments.
Neither Jones nor Redgrave loses the regal bearing we have long attributed to them; rather, they channel it to suggest the dignity of seemingly ordinary characters. In doing so, they remind us that great acting can transcend not only life but art as well.
From the Wall Street Journal:
During the first part of the play, I wondered whether Ms. Redgrave, who plays Daisy in a fairly low key, was going to get upstaged in a big way by Mr. Jones. Before long, though, I figured out that what I was seeing was in fact a smart decision by a seasoned pro. The only way to “compete” against a performance as dynamic as the one being given by Mr. Jones is to come at it from a different angle, and by underplaying the idiosyncrasies of the combative, querulous Daisy, Ms. Redgrave slips out from under his long shadow and ends up making an equally deep and persuasive impression.
Mr. Gaines writes in his program bio that he is “honored to be working with these two extraordinary artists.” I admire his modesty, but there’s no need for it. As he reminded us yet again earlier this year in A.R. Gurney’s “The Grand Manner,” Mr. Gaines is one of the best stage actors we have, and it’s something to see how he takes the lesser role of Boolie and fills it with character and individuality. No, he’s not the star, but I guarantee that you’ll talk about him on the way home.
From Bloomberg:
With three great actors -- Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines -- at their apogee, the enchanting revival of “Driving Miss Daisy” is the best theater can be.
Most so-called feel-good plays are sentimental claptrap that television can manage better. “Driving Miss Daisy,” however, is art. Alfred Uhry’s play makes us feel good because it is absolutely honest, truthfully aware of the rough and the smooth of life, beautifully (not just prettily) 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. That is if the vast talents of the cast can be called simple. They are tried and true performers who bring ultimate artistry well beyond mere craft.
From Redgrave, it is a kind of sublime mugging and gloriously projected, perfectly Southern speech, going from chilly hauteur through sassy incandescence to bone-deep humanity.
From Jones, it is the most cannily deployed sense of volume and temperature control, of magisterially timed pauses, of irresistible laughter and unshakable dignity.
Gaines shows inexhaustible charm as the son, his very rants immensely graceful.
From USA Today:
Under David Esbjornson’s graceful direction, Redgrave’s Daisy and Jones’ Hoke approach each other tentatively at first, though the potential for both discord and affection is immediately obvious. As they “drive” through John Lee Beatty’s spare, elegant set — Daisy’s cars are represented by a wooden bench and chairs and a wheel attached to a base — the tension between them is not unlike that you’d expect from a couple in a romantic comedy.
For what this staging makes plain is that Daisy is a love story, however platonic. The twinkle that’s in Jones’ eye during Hoke’s witty exchanges with Boolie (played by a predictably pitch-perfect Boyd Gaines) alternately sharpens and softens when he’s with Redgrave. Similarly, Redgrave can make Daisy almost girlish in her coyness. She then becomes childlike — as the elderly, ironically, so often are — in her later, more fragile moments.
Neither Jones nor Redgrave loses the regal bearing we have long attributed to them; rather, they channel it to suggest the dignity of seemingly ordinary characters. In doing so, they remind us that great acting can transcend not only life but art as well.
From the Wall Street Journal:
During the first part of the play, I wondered whether Ms. Redgrave, who plays Daisy in a fairly low key, was going to get upstaged in a big way by Mr. Jones. Before long, though, I figured out that what I was seeing was in fact a smart decision by a seasoned pro. The only way to “compete” against a performance as dynamic as the one being given by Mr. Jones is to come at it from a different angle, and by underplaying the idiosyncrasies of the combative, querulous Daisy, Ms. Redgrave slips out from under his long shadow and ends up making an equally deep and persuasive impression.
Mr. Gaines writes in his program bio that he is “honored to be working with these two extraordinary artists.” I admire his modesty, but there’s no need for it. As he reminded us yet again earlier this year in A.R. Gurney’s “The Grand Manner,” Mr. Gaines is one of the best stage actors we have, and it’s something to see how he takes the lesser role of Boolie and fills it with character and individuality. No, he’s not the star, but I guarantee that you’ll talk about him on the way home.
From Bloomberg:
With three great actors -- Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines -- at their apogee, the enchanting revival of “Driving Miss Daisy” is the best theater can be.
Most so-called feel-good plays are sentimental claptrap that television can manage better. “Driving Miss Daisy,” however, is art. Alfred Uhry’s play makes us feel good because it is absolutely honest, truthfully aware of the rough and the smooth of life, beautifully (not just prettily) 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. That is if the vast talents of the cast can be called simple. They are tried and true performers who bring ultimate artistry well beyond mere craft.
From Redgrave, it is a kind of sublime mugging and gloriously projected, perfectly Southern speech, going from chilly hauteur through sassy incandescence to bone-deep humanity.
From Jones, it is the most cannily deployed sense of volume and temperature control, of magisterially timed pauses, of irresistible laughter and unshakable dignity.
Gaines shows inexhaustible charm as the son, his very rants immensely graceful.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Pop Tarts World
Finally got to Pop Tart World. The most dominate feature of the store is the Varietizer. You can select from around 72 different varieties of Pop tarts. There's also an area where you can add your own toppings to the Pop tart you've picked out. There's also key chains and magnets and cups that are Pop tart themed.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Charmin Store
Yes, there actually is a Charmin store. But they don't sell bath tissue. It's a place that has free bathrooms along with some other things as well. At the back of the store three of the walls have bathrooms. All have doors which are numbered. There's a line for the bathrooms. There's also a guy with a mic. He asks your name and where you are from. He then assigns you to one of the bathrooms and your escorted to your door.
Only in New York.
And, yes that woman is dressed up as a toilet. Like I said only in New York.
Only in New York.
And, yes that woman is dressed up as a toilet. Like I said only in New York.
More pictures from New York
It's taking me a couple days to get all the pictures up from the New York City trip. Still have the Charmin store and Pop Tart World to do.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Avenue Q in New York
This show is very very funny. I would never thought in my life that I would see puppets simulating sex but then I saw Avenue Q. Here's the story line:
Princeton, a recent college graduate, is anxious to discover his purpose in life; but first, he must find an apartment and a job, with no work experience and an English degree. ("What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?") Beginning at Avenue A, he finally finds an affordable apartment on Avenue Q. His new neighbors are Kate Monster, a kindergarten teaching assistant; Rod, an anal-retentive Republican banker, and Nicky, his slacker roommate; Brian, an aspiring comedian recently laid off from his day job; Christmas Eve, Brian's Asian fiancée and a therapist with no clients; Trekkie Monster, a surly recluse who surfs the Internet all day in search of porn; and Gary Coleman, the building superintendent. Arguments ensue over whose life sucks the most.
Another song is Everyone's A Little Bit Racist:
Everyone's a little bit racist
Sometimes.
Doesn't mean we go
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one's really color blind.
Maybe it's a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.
Here's a little more on how the show is set up:
Avenue Q's unique presentation requires substantially more suspension of disbelief by audience members than normal: The cast consists of three human characters and eleven puppet characters who interact as if human, Sesame Street-style. The puppets are animated and voiced by actor/puppeteers who are present, unconcealed, onstage, but remain "invisible" relative to the storyline. That is, the puppets and human characters completely ignore the puppeteers, and the audience is expected to do so as well. This can be a challenge, as puppeteering mechanics are at times complex: the same puppet may be operated by different puppeteers in different scenes, and the actor voicing the puppet may not be the one animating it. One puppeteer sometimes voices two or more puppets simultaneously.
The show is just hysterical. If you get a chance to see it do so.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
To New York
I haven't been to New York at Christmas time in 30 years. So I decided this year I'd go back. With the ease of getting up there with Megabus, there's no excuse not to go. It was well worth. I've posted many of the pictures of the incredible decorations that I saw especially Rockefeller Center. I'll be added a few more pictures and a review of the two show I saw tomorrow. But for right now enjoy the incredible pictures.
Even More of Rockefeller Center
I just can't get enough of this place: Rockefeller Center. A couple of pictures down you'll notice the snow flakes projected on a building. That was a site. It was also an animated display so the snow flakes moved around the face of the building.
Walking Up 5th Avenue
After Rockefeller Center, I headed up 5th Avenue to see what other wonders there were to see.
More Along 5th Avenue
I kept walking along 5th Avenue heading up toward Central Park. I wanted to see the Apple Store. I actually went in for a little while but way too many people. So it was back out to see more lights.
Columbus Circle
From 5th Avenue and Central Park South I could see these lights. So I walked down that way and reached Columbus and saw these beautiful lights. Then I headed off to see Avenue Q. More about the shows tomorrow.
Back to Rockefeller Center
After Avenue Q I headed back towards Rockefeller Center. I think this has to be one of the most wonderful places to go in New York at Christmas time. The lights well there fantastic.
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