Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company’s co-artistic director David Eisner will don his actor’s hat in the company’s latest presentation, the Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry. Driving Miss Daisy takes place in the Deep South in 1948,and focuses on the relationship between Daisy Werthan, the rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow, and Hoke Coleburn, Daisy’s soft-spoken black driver.
“It is about a relationship that struggles with the racism that is in the background of the history of the times,” Eisner says.
Eisner plays Daisy’s son Boolie Werthan who has to insist his mother gets a driver because she is 72 years old and had an accident backing out of the driveway.
“The relationship of the driver and Miss Daisy grows from a frictional one to one of appreciation and love and for seeing each other for who they are,” he says.
HGJTC decided to do this play as there is a Jewish element in it, as the Werthan family is Jewish. “It is a story about ‘us and them’ in my mind,” explains Eisner. “I think it is a good reminder that racism is this self-inflicted toxic thing. The play is beautifully written and based on the grandmother of the writer Alfred Uhry. It has a lovely message and we are thrilled to be able to offer it to our audiences.”
He says even though audiences may have seen the movie or a production of the play, he feels director Philip Akin has his own imprint and a production that people will see with fresh eyes. Eisner says he is excited to have this production in front of an audience.
Eisner can relate in part to his character, since his own mother, Janet, is 81. Eisner says his mother is a terrific lady who is with it and involved in many different things, although he does admit to using their relationship in developing his characterization.
Putting his co-artistic director’s hat back on, Eisner says that he and fellow artistic director of HGJTC, Avery Saltzman are thrilled to be in their new space at The Greenwin Theatre. Subscription sales going into their ninth season are doing well and Eisner is so grateful to the Toronto Jewish audience and the audience in general for supporting the company, and they are working very hard to offer interesting productions.
Eisner has devoted three decades to working in the entertainment industry including 100 television, film and theatre credits. One of his first roles was as the neighbourhood hooligan Guido Lefkowitz in the iconic CBC series King of Kensington. Many television viewers will remember him from the CBC teen series Hanging In. Other series appearances were the American Highway to Heaven, and Cagney and Lacey and the Canadian shows Street Legal, Due South, The Eleventh Hour and Blue Murder.
In 2004, he received critical acclaim for his starring role in the biopic TV movie Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story, playing the controversial abortion doctor. As well as acting in over 600 episodes of Rumours and Boarders on CBC Radio, David has directed and produced over a dozen radio plays for the station. David most recently performed in HGJTC’s stage productions of Lost in Yonkers and New Jerusalem.
This production runs from May 30 to June 21 in The Greenwin Theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Joining Eisner on stage are Gemini Award nominee, Sharry as Daisy Werthan and Dora Award winner Sterling Jarvis as Hoke Coleburn. For tickets to Driving Miss Daisy, call 1-855-985-2787 or online at www.hgjewishtheatre.com.