Welcome to the Tiki Lounge! Daisy Star Boyd Gaines on His Jungle-Green Dressing Room

In real-life, four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines is one of the most mild-mannered theater pros we know. But a dressing room paint color chosen by Driving Miss Daisy set designer John Lee Beatty turned “mild” into “wild”—backstage, at least. “I had picked a lighter shade of green,” Gaines explains, “and [Beatty] said, ‘That might look too institutional’ and picked this one.” Rather than demanding a re-do, Gaines decided to embrace the leafy hue, and a staffer promptly posted a “Tiki Lounge” sign outside his door. Welcoming Broadway.com to the Golden Theatre, Gaines described his favorite things—including jungle accessories and (naturally) car-related memorabilia.

Photo by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com


“This hood ornament is from a Packard, much like the one talked about at the beginning of the play. It was my opening night gift from James Earl Jones.”


“Another opening night gift, from Vanessa Redgrave—this vase is sort of like the trophy that my character [Boolie Werthan] gets from the Atlanta Business Council for being 'Man of the Year.'"


“This little car was a present from one of my two sisters in California. It’s also a Packard, the car that gets crashed at the beginning of the play.”


“My 12-year-old daughter, Leslie, loaned me this tiger for the Tiki Lounge. It was a gift to her from George Green II, head of props at Lincoln Center Theater when I was doing Contact. He’s now passed away, but he was a lovely guy and was forever giving my daughter gifts. There was a mockup swing backstage, from the first part of the show, and she would swing on it. George was so kind to her.”


“The monkey was a gift from my daughter for the Tiki Lounge. Everybody makes makes fun of this room—as they should—but they like it. It does have a theme!”