By David NouNou
The 1998 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, Paula Vogel’s How I Learned To Drive, is yet another revival that is having a bumpy ride. As directed by Kate Whoriskey (in spring 2010, she horrifically butchered the brilliant The Miracle Worker) does yet another slipshod job at directing. She has sapped all the drama and tension from this truly remarkable play and turned it into a dated revival.
Set in the early- to late-1960s, the story follows the strained, sexual relationship between Li'l Bit (Elizabeth Reaser) and her aunt's husband, Uncle Peck (Norbert Leo Butz), from her adolescence through her teenage years into college and beyond. The play explores pedophilia and the ability to control and manipulate. All this is in the guise of learning how to drive a car.
Two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz, better known for musicals and comedy, adds another memorable performance to his portfolio. As Uncle Peck, he has the charm, energy, influence, and power to beguile, but the one thing missing is a sinister, conniving edge, which the director has failed to provide in his characterization. Thus, he comes across as a sympathetic character, almost a romantic uncle, rather than a creepy, lecherous pedophile.
I was really looking forward to seeing Ms. Reaser on stage, having just seen her recently in the Charlize Theron movie, Young Adult, as Patrick Wilson’s wife. I was very impressed with the depth of her characterization, so I was curious to see how she was going to tackle this role. Not that she is too old in real life, but unfortunately for this part, she is. She is too beautiful, totally voluptuous, and has a bust that just cries for a white angora sweater. Her performance is too predatory and it has, unfortunately, shifted the dynamics of the play. After all, she is supposed to be the victim, not the siren who leads her victim to his ultimate downfall. This is not supposed to be Lolita vs Humbert Humbert from Vladimir Nabakov's Lolita.
Yes, this play is about the ability to control and manipulate, power shift, and two flawed and damaged people, but one look at Ms. Reaser and her to die for body and you know none of that will exist. Yes, it is in the text, but not on the stage. Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse and Molly Ringwald and Bruce Davison, respectively, performed the roles of Li’l Bit and Uncle Peck in the original productions in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities in the late 1990s, and the dynamics were thrilling and precise. One got to see the power play and who manipulated whom at every turn. The struggle was constantly shifting, and one never knew who had the upper hand. In this version, one knows that Uncle Peck is a goner from the get-go. He never stands a chance. This is not the fault of Mr. Butz or even Ms. Reaser, but squarely falls on the shoulders of the director, Ms. Whoriskey, who has missed another opportunity and has, once again, flubbed an outstanding play.
Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 13, 2012
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