DATE: Thursday, August 14, 1997             TAG: 9708130123

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Theater Review 

SOURCE: Montague Gammon III 

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

PROS OFFER SENSITIVE ``DRIVING MISS DAISY''

Sheer, unalloyed acting talent makes the debut of Norfolk's newest theater company a promising event.

The show is the sentimental favorite ``Driving Miss Daisy,'' the group is Slices of Life Theatre Company and the cast members are Marty Terry, Leslie Rainey and Ken Ritter.

Terry's name should be familiar to every fan of local theater. For comedy or tragedy, she's established herself as a veteran actress of unsurpassed ability.

Rainey hasn't been on a Norfolk stage in almost 20 years, but his long ago performance at the New Attucks Theatre production of ``Ceremonies in Dark Old Men'' remains memorable.

Ken Ritter has played on various stages sporadically; it is no small compliment to say he holds his own with these two pros.

Terry plays Daisy Werthan, an elderly and very independent Southern lady whose son provides her with a chauffeur when she demolishes her car in a spectacular sounding one-vehicle accident. Of course, she resists the perceived loss of her freedom and privacy. The story of Daisy's later years, and her growing allegiance to her black driver, is told in a series of short scenes that span the time from just after World War II to the most active days of the civil rights movement.

Rainey plays Hoke, a man who is as spirited and self-assured as the woman he serves, but whose forcefulness manifests itself as a quiet, almost infinitely patient determination.

Alfred Uhry's familiar script, though well-constructed, doesn't exactly reach deeply into the intricacies of human psychology. Daisy is cantankerous but has a heart of gold, Hoke is uneducated but perceptive, and they interact in pleasantly predictable ways.

Predictability certainly has its comfortable appeal, and though the characters hardly tax the actors' considerable abilities, the show does provide opportunities to demonstrate their technical gifts. Watch Terry, for example, in one of her last scenes. Almost immobile, she seems somehow 20 years older than at the play's outset, fleshier, her face sagging under the weight of 90 years. Her character reaches back to the past she has been discussing, as we see a flash, not of the actress, but of the strong-willed 70-year-old reviving momentarily.

Rainey's work is also marked by clarity, discipline, an unquestionable understanding of the man he plays and the ability to convey that understanding to his audience. The whole cast, under Rainey's direction, approaches their roles with sensitivity and compassion.

While opening night was beset with the sort of technical problems that can occur when a brand new group moves into a theater that hasn't been used much, if at all, in a decade or so, those mishaps were merely the theatrical equivalent of a few squeaks and rattles in a new machine. No one needs to tell the veterans in this group when they need clean up sound or lighting cues, or to speed up scene changes.

The company just needs a little time to tighten up those easily reached nuts and bolts. Anyone can do that with a little practice, in one rehearsal. Few groups could ever hope for the concentration of acting ability that this one has. If they get the audience support they deserve, local culture will be much enriched. ILLUSTRATION: AT A GLANCE

WHAT: ``Driving Miss Daisy,'' by Alfred Uhry

WHO: Slices of Life Theatre Co.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Lake Wright Motel, Northampton Blvd.

TICKETS: 625-1972

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