The Cumberland County Playhouse launches its 48th season with Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize winning Driving Miss Daisy, which opens January 21, 2012. The Playhouse production of this heartwarming comedy will feature audience favorites Michael Ruff and Daniel Black, and will star veteran actress Carol Irvin in the title role.
Carol Irvin began her Playhouse career in the early ‘70s when Paul Crabtree recruited her from his Opryland cast of I Hear America Singing, so she could appear with him in Crossville in An Evening with Paul Crabtree. Other than performing in Fairfield Glade for a few years with husband Charles “Buster “ Irvin, and then freelancing in Chattanooga, Carol’s Playhouse tenure is now at 40 years, with scores of leading roles and thousands of performances to her credit.
Driving Miss Daisy is the heartfelt story of Daisy Werthan, a 72 year-old Jewish widow in Atlanta, and her African-American chauffeur Hoke Coleburn. What begins as a prickly pairing eventually blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that spans 25 years and transcends the boundaries between them. With its sparkling humor, honesty and dignity, this quietly powerful American classic has touched the hearts of millions.
In 1989, the play was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, and last year it was revived on Broadwayand in London’s West End in a production that starred James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave.
This exciting new production of Driving Miss Daisy is directed by John Fionte (Chicago, My Fair Lady) and features costumes by Rebel Mickelson, sets by Jim Crabtree and will play through April 14. It’s rated G and is sponsored by Dr. Stanley Bise, M.D., with additional support provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Upcoming shows include Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, Feb 10-Apr 6, sponsored by Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn Express, and Hampton Inn; The Moving of Lilla Barton, starring Patty Payne as a warm, witty unforgettable Southern woman who defies small-town church politics, Mar 1-May 25; and Mar 16-May 12 we bring you All Shook Up. With dozens of “the king’s” greatest hits, this new “Elvis musical” will have you jumpin’ out of your blue suede shoes! You can purchase tickets for all Playhouse productions, plus selected concerts at Crossville’s Palace Theater and Southern Stars Symphonic Brass, online at www.ccplayhouse.com or by calling 931.484.5000.
