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At Play: Driving Miss Daisy Comes To The Forum

Driving Miss Daisy opens January 16 at the Forum Theatre in Wichita. Set in mid-century Atlanta the 1987 play tells the story of an elderly Jewish matron, Daisy, and her chauffeur, Hoke. At first Daisy is none too happy about being forced to rely on a black man. But Hoke gradually wins her over, and during the 25-year span of the play the two develop a deep-rooted affection. The play was adapted for film in 1989, starring Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, and Dan Aykroyd; the screen version won four Academy Awards, and received a total of nine nominations, including one for Aykroyd as Best Supporting Actor. The play won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for drama and has continued to be a favorite of theatre lovers around the world thanks to touring productions and revivals. Driving Miss Daisy is the first installment of playwright Alfred Uhry’s Atlanta Trilogy, which examines the lives of Jews in Atlanta during the last century.

The Hutchinson Fox Theatre will present The Wonderbread Years on January 18. The Wonder Bread Years is a look back at the baby boomer generation. Audience members, of a certain age, can relive childhood memories in this one man show starring Pat Hazzell. The Wonder Bread Years/i> is a humorous and heartwarming salute to baby boomers and pop culture.

To learn more about these and other theatre productions in the Wichita area, please visit our events calendar at KMUW.org.

Jedd Beaudoin is host/producer of the nationally syndicated program Strange Currency. He has also served as an arts reporter, a producer of A Musical Life and a founding member of the KMUW Movie Club. As a music journalist, his work has appeared in Pop Matters, Vox, No Depression and Keyboard Magazine.