4B
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Staged classic is a pleasant enough drive Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the world of film. Set design by Theresa Furphy basis for a Best Picture Oscar-winning film, is unfussy and minimal. There’s a desk rep“Driving Miss Daisy” owes resenting Boolie’s world, an armchair and a great deal to its pervading bookshelf for Daisy and a simple pair of niceness. The off-Broad- stools for the play’s most oft-used location — way play by Alfred Uhry the car where Daisy and Hoke’s friendship casts a warm glow over an blossoms. era that was anything but, It’s perhaps unfair to fault “Driving Miss and it hasn’t grown any Daisy” for its sins of omission, but the nonless docile over the years. existence of almost any meaningful racial Lyric Theatre is staging the subtext — especially considering its setting, production now through Atlanta in the ’50s and ’60s — reduces the DUSTY Sunday. play to little more than a starry-eyed fantasy. SOMERS “Driving Miss Daisy” Could a white woman and a black man tells the story be friends in this era? of Daisy Werthan (Darrie Absolutely, but the play PLAYBILL Lawrence) — elderly, crotchety incubates them almost and Jewish. After taking out the entirely from the surWhat: “Driving Miss Daisy” neighbor’s garage door with rounding social upheavWhen: Now through Sunday. her Chrysler, Daisy is put under al and never confronts house arrest by her entreprethe troubling aspect that 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, neur son Boolie (Christopher Hoke was essentially Thursday Harrod), who insists on finding chosen for his service 8 p.m. Friday Daisy a chauffeur before she job because of the color 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday can get in a car again. of his skin. 3 p.m. Sunday Boolie finds a driver in Hoke References to Martin Where: Lyric Theatre Colburn (Keith Johnson), a Luther King Jr. and a syn1727 NW 16th St. in Oklahoma black man not much younger agogue bombing do tie City than Daisy herself. At first Daisy and Hoke together Tickets: $40, $15 student rush Daisy flatly refuses to be driven in a larger context, but available 30 minutes before anywhere, but soon grudgmostly their connection show time ingly acquiesces and eventuis achieved through the For tickets, call 405-524-9312 ally becomes close friends with little things, like a trip to Hoke. the grocery store or a can The three-actor production of salmon. As a character is undeniably theatrical and fares much bet- study of friendship in the midst of the banal, ter stagebound than it did opened up into the “Driving Miss Daisy” succeeds rather well.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Christopher Harrod, Darrie Lawrence and Keith Johnson in a production shot from the stage version of “Driving Miss Daisy.” The play runs the rest of the week at Lyric Theater, 1727 NW 16th St. in Oklahoma City. Lyric’s production features a trio of excellent performers, who have no trouble maintaining the intimate feel of the play even in the fairly expansive space. Lawrence displays a bristling cantankerous wit, foiled admirably by Johnson, who lives up to the genial persona embodied by Morgan Freeman, who originated the role off-Broadway and in the film adaptation.
Harrod makes the most of his odd-manout role and gets good mileage with his exasperated demeanor. Ultimately, “Driving Miss Daisy” doesn’t come across as ignorant, just purposefully bland. Lyric presents an assured production, but the play itself is just nice. Dusty Somers is a journalism senior.
Gothic-grunge group gears up for second festival appearance Editor’s note: The Oklahoma Daily will feature one Oklahoma band each day leading up to Norman Music Festival. Today’s featured artist is Norman’s own Depth & Current.
Harris said. The new sound needed a new member, so Harris enlisted neighbor Derek Lemke, who now plays keyboards and guitar for the group. “He ended up in the band primarily because he lived across the street from me,” ANNIKA LARSON Harris said before adding, “We had the same Daily Staff Writer music taste. I saw him at the same shows. It Take a foundation of ’80s alternative just worked out nicely.” As an attendee of Norman Music Festival, dance music and ’90s grunge, add some Harris said he is most excited to see The PHOTO PROVIDED psychedelic and gothic influences and you’ve got Norman band Depth & Current. Sword, Evangelicals and Dirty Projectors. Depth & Current lead vocalist Chris Harris performs at the band’s EP release show in May 2009. The local group’s performance at Norman He also urges festival-goers to check out Gentle Ghost even though Music Festival this year they play early Sunday. won’t be its first, but guiDEPTH & CURRENT AT “They’re one of the best tarist/vocalist Chris Harris NORMAN MUSIC FESTIVAL playing there, and also calls it the band’s first real probably our ‘best friend NMF show. When: 9 p.m. Saturday band,’” Harris said. “We “We played last year want to encourage everybut it was kind of an afWhere: Opolis Stage, 113 N. one to see them.” terthought kind of thing,” Crawford Ave. He’d like you to see his Harris said. “This year is show too, though. Harris our first time with lights describes his band’s sound and fog and everything.” as coming from the influThe band has been playing together ences of 1980s college rock that his friends’ for about two years, though bassist Colin older brothers used to listen to, and the Ingersol, drummer Scott Twitchell and grunge that he and his bandmates listened Harris have a history. Harris said they all played in another to growing up. He says someone who likes those influband in the mid-2000s, but when that band ences should find a mix of both at the Depth dissolved, the three of them still wanted to make music together. So Depth & Current & Current show. Depth & Current will perform at 9 p.m. was born. Saturday on the Opolis Stage at Norman “We took some time off, regrouped, deMusic Festival. cided what we wanted to do sound-wise,”
From left: Scott Twitchell, Chris Harris, Colin Ingersol and Derek Lemke.
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