The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 17, 1997, Page 11, Image 11
SITE OF THE DAY
ht tp://www.madon
Miss
JOHN LYONS Features Editor
The Town Theatre has opened
1997 with a performance of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning story, "Driving
Miss Daisy."
The play, which was made into a
movie starring Jessica Tandy and
Morgan Freeman, opened Jan. 10 and
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IS It
JOHN LYONS Features Editor
Okay, so here's the story.
While traveling through outer spac
two beings known as Birdstuff and Sfc
Crunch got lonely and created Coco, tl
Electronic Monkey Wizard, out of spa]
Atari XI00 parts.
When Coco shorted out the spacecraft
the trio crash landed in Alabama in tl
late 80s.
While traveling through our sob
system, they listened to radio transmissio]
from Earth, but due to a time delay th<
heard the popular music of the early 6C
The three space travelers assume
surf guitar would be at the height
popularity when they arrived, so the
posed as humans and formed a surf guit
band to allow them to travel in search
parts they needed to repair their spacecra
The trio recruited Dexter X, Man fro
Planet Q, to work for them and set out
brainwash music lovers everywhere.
This story isn't the script for NBC
latest must-see-TV spinoff sitcom.
And no, if s not an idea for a Saturdj
morning cartoon.
According to Birdstuff, this story
the true background of college radio icoi
Man or Astroman?, who will be playir
at Rockafella's this Saturday.
"There's actually two stories about 01
origins," Birdstuff said. "One is that v
crash landed here from outer space, bi
to keep our cover, we've been telling peop
that at one point we were just four geel
college students without much in the ws
of a social life. We've been trying to g
people to believe this story, bi
DJ Hurricane, Mack
and The Wando Kic
will be perfrorming c
blend of hip-hop
R&B and danc(
music at Elbow Roon
;v- i-i
Ft*
EXT
Dais
will run until Jan. 26.
The play details the relationship
between Daisy Werthan, a crotchety,
old Jewish woman from Atlanta, her
business-minded son Boolie Werthan
and her black chauffeur Hoke Colebum.
The play begins after Miss Daisy
has confused the gears of her brandnew
Packard, and Boolie is making
- -
1
Mai
unfortunately most people believe
from outer space."
Despite the attempted subte
e, Birdstuff constantly refers to underg]
ir laboratories, space helmets, high vc
le equipment and government organiza
re and his speech is filled with tech
jargon and mumbo jumbo that m
;? may not actually mean anything,
le He said the band's recent reloc
from Alabama to Georgia is part ol
ar efforts to evade groups working ag
ns them.
ay "We constantly try to stay away
)s. the various government agencies
id want to know a little too much about
of or Astroman?," Birdstuff said. "That'
ay of the reason we relocated,
ar "We spent a lot of our early Earth t
of in Alabama, but when we left it wa
ft- in the Frankenstein movie when the
m was being stormed. We left as all the ]
to were about to chase us out of their t
parks."
' s Birdstuff stepped out of charade
enough to admit that the band sin<
*y liked the South but almost immed
jumped back into character.
1S "In all honesty, we love to live i
18 South," he said. "Since we crash la
*? that's where we've always lived. C
too far from Little Debbies and Mooi
n" and we just don't know what to do,
^e Birdstuff said Man or Astroman'
it be the universe's wordiest band. He t
'le mostly about the band's space trave
ty advance technology, but he did m?
iy to say a little about the band's
et Saturday at Rockafella's.
it "Ifs going to be a little more dang
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plans to hire a chauffeur.
Emmalee E. Robbins, the artistic
director for Town Theatre, said the
beauty of the play lies in its simplicity
and humor.
She said through simple, endearing
vignettes, the play unfolds and the
characters open themselves to the
audience.
This is a play of healing," Robbins
said. "Through their journey, the
characters find such friendship and
understanding.
"It is such a wonderful, simple trip
into friendship and into trust."
Heading up the cast is Ruth
Gottlieb Moore, who plays Miss Daisy
and has been participating in Columbia
theater for about 50 years.
She has appeared in films, television
series, and commercials and is well
known in Columbia for her role as the
Story Lady on radio and television
between 1945-1961.
Moore played the role of Miss Daisy
in the 1990 USC Summer Rep
performance of the play.
"It was very good to revisit the
play," Moore said "Its a very beautiful,
very simple play. It's designed to be
simple."
The cast is rounded out by Rodney
Bowman as Boolie and Tom Quick as
Hoke.
Moore said both Bowman and
Quick were good actors to work with.
"I've enjoyed working with them
so much," she said. "There has to be
a rapport, especially with such a small
group. The ensemble has to work as
a unit, and that's the secret of having
a good play.
"If the ensemble works together,
then it is believable. When the audience
recognizes that, it means all of us have
done our job."
The majority of the play takes place
in Atlanta, and the story runs its course
through a series of touching vignettes.
It opens after Miss Daisy has
i or
we're than normal," he said. 1 hope no
us. The main difference is a very
rfuge, up as far as on-stage voltage. H
round we'll be up to 100,000 volts soo
Itage planning on adding all sorts of e
dons, equipment."
nical Birdstuff said the show is ano
ay or in the band's attempt to rejuvc
live show. He said they plan t<
^heir audience involved and recor
, audience members wear insulat
amst _
tor grounding.
, "Coco is usually performing t
i that experiments on the crowd," Birds
t Man "We're always trying to do as mi
s part 38 possible. The way we see it is ii
to get sweaty, everybody shoulc
enure smell us."
is like Birdstuff said the Rockafell
castle is part of the band's preparatic
people upcoming "trans-Atlantic missic
railer they will "attempt to conquer
again."
r long Birdstuff said his advice to C
merely residents for Saturday night i
iately home.
"What I would say to pe
ndecT Columbia is that if they are sn
let us have any concern for theii
i Pies shouldn't come to the show,'
"For those that insist on coming, ]
? mav they wear 33 pah" ?f Ni
.glkgd rubber soles or something else th
>1 and for grounding,
inage "It's like the way Gallagher f)
show their plastic sheets to protect th<
or Astroman? fans should hav<
;erous shoes and insulated clothes."
The Skip Pearsoi
Trio will be playinj
at the Hunter ?
Gatherer.
I
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ives ii
crashed her car in 1948 and she is
arguing with Boolie about whether
she needs a chauffeur.
It closes with Hoke feeding Miss
Daisy a piece of pumpkin pie in 1973.
Between these two events are a
series of short scenes detailing the
interaction between the three
characters.
With very few props, the cast of
the show takes the audience for a ride
into the lives of these disparate
characters.
The relationship between the three
characters is developed in bits and
pieces. The short scenes give brief
glimpses into the characters and their
slowly developing relationships.
Brief conversations and ordinary
events paint the picture of the
extraordinary friendship that develops
between Miss Daisy and Hoke.
Robbins said, "What makes this
play so touching is that it is so personal
What Daisy does is very realistic. This
play is so closely aligned to our lives."
The brief scenes build sympathy
for the characters through both humor
and pathos.
From Hoke's timid request for a raise
to Miss Daisy's backseat driving, the
characters are developed through
realistic glimpses into their lives.
The characters'external qualities
are all that are ever shown, and it is
through their normal, day-to-day
behavior that their their depth of
character is hinted at.
The character development is so
touching because it imitates life.
There is much that the audience
cannot know from watching the play,
but this makes Boolie, Daisy and Hoke
more believable than they would be
otherwise.
As the audience watches the
characters grow old, they do so
sympathetically.
"Driving Miss Daisy" is an
endearing Southern tale.
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Ruth Gottlieb Moore and Tom Qi
Hoke Coleburn in Town Theatre'
are pictured witn nodney Howmai
The play will be running through
Jan. 26, with shows on Wednesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for
rom
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will bring their sur
guitar rock t<
Rockafella's wit]
Athens band Five
Eight.
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town
COURTESY PHOTOS
lick, above, play Daisy Werthan and
s "Driving Miss Daisy." At left, they
11, who plays Boolie Werthan.
senior citizens, students and military,
and $6 for anyone under 16 years old.
For reservations call the Town Theatre
Box Office at 799-2510.
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