‘How I Learned to Drive’ revival a must-see

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: David Morse & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE
Written by Paula Vogel
Directed by Mark Brokaw
Through May 29, 2022
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

By David NouNou

How I Learned to Drive, Paula Vogel’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning memory play, lives eternally when done well. The thrill of seeing the original cast, Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse reprising their roles of L’il Bit and Uncle Peck, is a theatrical wonder that seldom happens. It’s been 25 years since they created these roles and it seems as if time has stood still for these two to bring their characters back to life.

Set throughout the 1960s, the story follows the strained sexual relationship between Li’l Bit (Mary-Louise Parker) and her aunt’s husband, Uncle Peck (David Morse) from her adolescence through her teenage years and into college. The play delves into pedophilia and the ability to control and manipulate. All this is in the guise of learning how to drive a car.

The narrative shifts to different time periods starting in 1969 in a parking lot in rural Maryland. Li’l Bit is 17 and we see what seems for the first time, Uncle Peck unhooking her brassiere through her flannel shirt and admiring her breasts. She feels discomfort with this act, and the scene breaks into Li’l Bit describing her dysfunctional family life and the dynamics of her family. Her father left her mother early on, her grandparents called her Li’l Bit because of her small breasts when she was young. Her biological Aunt Mary was married to Uncle Peck and he became her father figure.

Like any memory play, times shift and one thinks of things at different stages of their life. Li’l Bit has a lot of memories of events that took place in 1968, to 1964, and all the way back to 1961. Whether it was in the car, a restaurant, a motel, the memories keep flooding.

Inserted is a wonderful scene of Aunt Mary (Johanna Day) confessing to the audience that she knew what was happening. The fact that her husband was an alcoholic, but Li’l Bit in a deal with Uncle Peck stopped him from drinking. He shaped up, and she knew that Li’l Bit was manipulating her uncle to get him to do some of these things. In a heartbreaking moment, Aunt Mary says that she just has to sit it out till Li’l Bit goes to college in a year and she can have her husband back.

The whole play has to be seen to be appreciated for its nuances. Not everything is as clear as it seems. There are gray shadings, but that’s for the audience to decide. Mark Brokaw, the director keeps the proceedings moving without any confusion of the different times.

Seeing the original cast members—Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse and Johanna Day—is one of the highlights of this theatrical season. A definite must-see.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 24, 2022
Reviewed at April 23, 2022 press performance.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: Davis Morse & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: Chris Myers & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: (left to right) Mary-Louise Parker, Johanna Day & Alyssa May Gold. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: Mary-Louise Parker & David Morse.