(out of 
)Tony Awards come and go, as do other honors, and the winners are sometimes worthy, and other times driven by politics. The Pulitzer Prize, though, has been very consistent in awarding the best of the best of a season. The 1998 winner, Paula Vogel's hard-hitting play, How I Learned to Drive, is an example of how right the committee is in their honors. Dealing with the uncomfortable topic of incest, and utilizing the consistent imagery of driver education, Ms. Vogel manages to bring a human face to a monstrous act. She does not excuse anything on either side of the sordid situation, but makes the horror even more painful, even as she is making it bearable, by showing the cause and effect of this forbidden relationship on two very real, very believable participants. There will be some in the audience for this Arizona Theatre Company production who will squirm, and some who will be revolted, but there is nothing "dirty" about this show, and its message is worthy and powerful.
Li'l Bit and Uncle Peck are part of a Maryland-based transplanted
southern family that is frank and open about sex, but not in a
way that is healthy, informative, or comforting. Li'l Bit's mother
is a crass drunk, her grandfather and grandmother talk about each
others lusts and private parts just as readily as they speak of
the weather, her female school friends are naturally curious,
and her male school mates are boorish. There is nowhere to hide
for this blossoming girl, whom we watch in reverse from 18 to
11 as she is pursued by the disarmingly charming Uncle Peck. Li'l
Bit remembers these "lessons" as a 35-year old woman,
and plays her younger version of herself throughout her teen and
pre-teen years.
Director David Ira Goldstein has rigorously retained the
balance necessary for this production to succeed. There are no
moustache-twirling villains or maidens-in-distress here. These
are people who make right choices and wrong, and rarely realize
the consequences of those actions until it is much too late. He
has masterfully directed James Carpenter's Uncle Peck to
be just as much a good-though-lost person as a pedophile, and
effectively woven the three Greek Chorus members though their
various roles. While the show does have a few off moments, where
the pacing seems a little more leisurely, it is generally fluid
and well-paced. Mr. Goldstein should be congratulated on his choice
of difficult material, and then making that choice look natural
and easy to direct, even while it must have been as monstrous
a task as he's had in recent memory.
The only slight hesitation in the evening comes from the performance
of Kate Goehring as the frazzled survivor, Li'l Bit, who
has some rough moments transitioning between the various ages
her character requires her to play, and is sometimes too cutesy
in her younger persona, but these are the only flaws to an otherwise
impressive performance. Mr. Carpenter's turn as Uncle Peck is
simply masterful, showing us a kindly Uncle who grows more hateful
as his actions are revealed. He is able to handle the poignant
scene of fishing instruction with just the right amount of southern
gentleman, and retain his power when seducing the young Li'l Bit.
Greek Chorus members Linda Libby, Christine Williams
and local favorite Bob Sorenson do outstanding jobs of
portraying the world around the incestuous couple, and add a goodly
amount of the humor that keeps this piece balanced by bringing
a certain welcome campiness and caricature to their various roles,
from mother to grandparents to narrators.
Scenic Designer Scott Weldin has given the audience a simple
set of road map frames and a twisting highway running off to the
distance, and Lighting Designer Tracy Odishaw gives us
a bright stage to highlight the darkness of the subject. Costumer
David Kay Mickelsen captures the simplicity of the characters
gracefully, and Brian Jerome Peterson's Sound Design is
well-crafted and well-integrated.
It's easy for potential audience members to bristle upon hearing
the topic of this play, but an open mind is a receptive one, and
the treatment of this difficult subject by Ms. Vogel is nearly
perfectly balanced, and alarmingly full of shading. The drama
of this piece, and its impressive handling of the situation is
worthy of its Pulitzer Prize, and make it worth giving it a chance.
Production Details:
How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel
Arizona Theatre Company
The Herberger Theatre
Center, Phoenix
(602) 252-8497
March 26th - April 11th, 1999