WOS Radio: Miss Daisy Drives to Wyndham’s
Ahead of the opening of Driving Miss Daisy at Wyndham’s Theatre tonight (5 October 2011, previews from 26 September), a press conference was held earlier this week featuring the play’s stars James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave and Boyd Gaines, and the writer Alfred Uhry.
Questions discussed included the play’s central themes of racism and prejudice, as well as why the piece still has resonance in the 21st century. Also discussed was the production’s transfer from Broadway to the West End, including how British audiences respond differently to their American counterparts.
Off-Broadway, running for 1,195 performances at New York’s John Houseman
Theatre from 1987 to 1990. In 1989, it was adapted into an
Oscar-winning film starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman.
This revival, directed by David Esbjornson, ran at Broadway’s
Golden Theatre from on 25 October 2010 to 9 April 2011 and earned
Redgrave a Best Actress nomination at this year’s Tony Awards.
To hear full audio from Monday’s press briefing, click ‘play’ below.
