Pulitzer-winning ‘Daisy’ a poignant gem

A beautiful play, beautifully played. Alfred Uhry's 1987 "Driving Miss Daisy" won the Pulitzer Prize, and it's easy to see why. Uhry uses a narrow focus on three characters to tell a story that is nevertheless broad and deep -- life in the South between 1948 and 1973, touching on race, class, aging and companionship.

Present this gem with an ideal cast and a simple production and you have a winner. That's what Barksdale Theatre did last summer at Hanover Tavern. This summer, it's reprising the show at Barksdale's Willow Lawn location, with all the quality intact.

Daisy Werthan is a 72-year-old Atlanta widow when we meet her. She came from humble Jewish beginnings, but her late husband's business made the family wealthy. Daisy is proud and independent but no longer a safe driver; son Boolie insists on hiring a driver for her.

That's Hoke Coleburn, just a decade younger than Daisy; he has lived a life of service and deference, and he has the patience to outlast her hostility. Once she allows him to "carry" her to the Piggly Wiggly, the two of them have begun what will develop over a quarter-century into a true friendship.

Uhry draws the characters and their situations deftly, making them real, flawed and recognizable. Daisy has the unconscious prejudice of her upbringing; having black household help, she says, is "like having little children in the house." Hoke reveals himself to be honest, cranky and thoroughly human; he has been a servant most of his life, but he knows what kind of man he is.

Joe Pabst has directed with a perfect ear for the humor and the pathos of Uhry's work. Joy Williams returns as the irascible Daisy. Only age can conquer this grande dame, and Williams' embodiment of Daisy's physical decline is poignant. Garet Chester plays Boolie smartly and with minimal sentiment; he loves his mama, but he's a serious businessman, too, in a place where Jews are viewed with suspicion.

And Jim Bynum's Hoke is irresistible; by the middle of his first scene we're already in love with him. His deference is a throwback to a shameful era, but his dignity is absolute.

The simple set designed by Amy Bale and Terrie Powers (expanded slightly for the Willow Lawn stage), effective new lighting by Matt Landwehr, and Sue Griffin's excellent costumes add texture to a production that cannot fail to move the viewer.

Susan Haubenstock is a freelance writer and editor based in Henrico County. Contact her at .