Driving Miss Daisy Announces Broadway Extension

In a fall season that has seen a number of plays falter at the box office, the Broadway revival of Driving Miss Daisy is a solid hit. Now comes word that James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave and Boyd Gaines have agreed to extend their engagement in Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play through April 9 at the Golden Theatre. Driving Miss Daisy opened on October 25 and been scheduled to end on January 29, directed by David Esbjornson.

Accompanied by Uhry, producers Jed Bernstein and Adam Zotovich announced the extension from the stage after Daisy’s December 15 matinee. The comedy about an elderly Jewish matron in Atlanta and her long relationship with her African-American chauffeur played to 93.33% of capacity for the week ending December 12 and grossed a very healthy $732,896 at the box office.

In a Q&A with Broadway.com, James Earl Jones noted that he will celebrate his 80th birthday on January 17, during the run of Daisy. "I'll go on stage and do Hoke," he said. "It's just a pure pleasure." In a joint statement tied to the extension, Jones, Redgrave and Gaines are quoted as saying, "We're all having such a wonderful time with each other and with Alfred's play. We are delighted to be continuing."