Get to Cedar City for 'Daisy,' 'Patsy'

UTAH SHAKESPEAREAN FESTIVAL, fall season, "Always . . . Patsy Cline" and "Driving Miss Daisy," playing in repertory, Wednesdays-Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 14 in the Randall Jones Theatre, Cedar City. "Patsy Cline," matinees Sept. 20-23 and Oct. 4-7 and evenings Sept. 27-30 and Oct. 11-14. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission). "Daisy" matinees Sept. 27-30 and Oct. 11-14 and evenings Sept. 20-23 and Oct. 4-7. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes (no intermission). All seats are reserved. Tickets range from $16 to $30, depending on seat location. Some student and group discounts. For reservations, call 435-586-7878 or 800-752-9849 or visit the festival's Web site at www.bard.org.

CEDAR CITY — The Utah Shakespearean Festival is closing its 39th season with two contrasting plays about friendship.

One, Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Driving Miss Daisy," is a beautifully crafted and poignant work spanning 25 years in the unusual relationship between a stubborn, feisty, 72-year-old Atlanta widow, Daisy Worthen, and Hoke Coleburn, the black driver hired by her son after she crashes her car.

The other, Ted Swindley's "Always . . . Patsy Cline," is a musical revue based on the brief friendship that developed between the country singer and one of her staunchest fans.

DRIVING MISS DAISY, directed by J. R. Sullivan, has a small cast — just three actors. But the drama touches on some big issues. Racial and religious prejudice. Aging. Parent-child relationships.

Patricia Fraser (seen in Utah in such recent productions as Pioneer Theatre Company's "The Cripple of Inishmaan" and USF's "Relative Values") plays Daisy, with festival newcomers Ernest Perry Jr. as Hoke and Ned Schmidtke as Boolie Worthen, Daisy's son.

They deliver stunning performances that were accorded — and rightfully so — a standing ovation on opening weekend.

Christopher Pickart's scenery is relatively simple — four large windows, all different, signifying various settings for the vignettes as they segue smoothly from one to another — Daisy's home, Boolie's office, a church. The passage of time flows seamlessly, starting with Daisy lamenting that her fairly new Oldsmobile was entirely at fault for her accident. Her trusty old La Salle would never have gotten itself into reverse, damaging a neighbor's garage and tool shed.

Her driving privileges taken away, Daisy is forced — reluctantly — to be driven around Atlanta by Hoke Coleburn. Daisy's aghast. She'd sooner take the trolley to Piggly Wiggly than have her friends see her being chauffeured around.