Driving Miss Daisy

Congratulations are in order to the Valley Summer Theater. Bruce Klinger and Co. have a knack for choosing plays that have a broad appeal, casting them with wonderful actors, and staging them with attention to detail. Driving Miss Daisy is a wonderful example of just how true this is. Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer- Prize-winning play is subtler than the 1989 movie version, but its emotional impact is even greater. Carolyn Hetherington shines as the story’s proud Southern matriarch, and watching her age some twenty years is a wonder to behold. Walter Borden’s rich, sonorous voice and easy, dignified bearing make him near-perfect as the forebearing and self-assured Hoke. Graham Percy does a memorable turn as Daisy’s loving but exasperated son. Subtle but sophisticated light design by Leigh Ann Vardy and sound design by Sandy Moore also deserve mention. Bravo! (Kate Watson)