#1
Posted: 10/19/10 at 1:07am
I so wanted to love this production. I've been more looking forward to this than pretty much anything else this coming season, and as is always the case with those shows I can't hardly wait for, I was very much let down. As the show ended, I turned to my friend and asked what he thought and his response was "James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave onstage together. How much better can it get?" It took me a while to think of an answer to that question and sadly the answer is "a lot better". I can't fault the cast for this. I don't think anyone could ever fault these actors. The problem I think lies in a very mediocre script.
The film version of DRIVING MISS DAISY, it's safe to say, is considered an American Classic. It's not a nearly perfect film, it is a perfect film. Perfect in every imaginable way with a screenplay that vastly improves upon the original script. As written for the stage, it is a series of events that don't let the audience form a relationship with it's two main characters as their bond strengthens and as they age together. What was added to the screenplay allows this so by the ending you're left heartbroken for these people you've grown to care for. By the end of this production, I was just left sort of shocked at how much I DIDN'T care about these people which truly upset me.
I got home tonight and actually re-watched the film to figure out just what went wrong with this production and my answer is surprisingly, nothing. There's nothing "wrong" with this play except the play itself. As it is, it really seems like these two acting legends got together one day and said "Let's do a play tonight". Again, the script doesn't really allow any real sort of character development so it's not their fault that it just comes across as a staged reading of a mediocre play.
** out of ****
The film version of DRIVING MISS DAISY, it's safe to say, is considered an American Classic. It's not a nearly perfect film, it is a perfect film. Perfect in every imaginable way with a screenplay that vastly improves upon the original script. As written for the stage, it is a series of events that don't let the audience form a relationship with it's two main characters as their bond strengthens and as they age together. What was added to the screenplay allows this so by the ending you're left heartbroken for these people you've grown to care for. By the end of this production, I was just left sort of shocked at how much I DIDN'T care about these people which truly upset me.
I got home tonight and actually re-watched the film to figure out just what went wrong with this production and my answer is surprisingly, nothing. There's nothing "wrong" with this play except the play itself. As it is, it really seems like these two acting legends got together one day and said "Let's do a play tonight". Again, the script doesn't really allow any real sort of character development so it's not their fault that it just comes across as a staged reading of a mediocre play.
** out of ****
Updated On: 10/19/10 at 01:07 AM
