Murray State Admissions Counselor Josh Jones will take his place as Hoke Colburn with Murray’s Playhouse in the Park April 20.
The playhouse will be performing the classic play “Driving Miss Daisy,” the comedic and touching story of Miss Daisy and Hoke, her African-American chauffeur.
Hoke becomes Miss Daisy’s chauffeur after she wrecks a brand-new vehicle and her son declares she is unfit to drive, thus hiring Hoke.
The play then follows the relationship of Miss Daisy and Hoke over the span of 25 years. The majority of their time together is in the Civil Rights Movement time period, giving a serious note to the play, allowing it to touch viewers while also entertaining them.
“Hoke is a 60-year-old man. He’s a very nice man who works as Miss Daisy’s chauffeur throughout the duration of the show,” Jones said. “He is a very humble guy, and acts as a very kind soul in Miss Daisy’s life.”
“Driving Miss Daisy” will be Jones’s third production with Playhouse in the Park. Jones said that this play, because of its small cast size, has had more of a family atmosphere than any other in which he has participated.
“‘Driving Miss Daisy’ had definitely been different than any other play because of its small size,” Jones said. “With there being less people, we have a lot more time to joke around and really get to know each other. The time commitment is significantly larger, and I was nervous at first, because I have a lot more lines than I did previously, but I’m really looking forward to the show.”
Katie Hamilton, “Driving Miss Daisy” director, said she believes the play will be a hit with the Murray community, since ticket sales have already been very successful.
“I think ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ will be very appealing to the people of all ages,” Hamilton said. “It’s timeless and has a heart-warming, great message that is also familiar to people because of the movie. The play is really about the importance of two people from two worlds becoming the best of friends against all odds.”
“Driving Miss Daisy” will be dedicated to the late Murray State student, Daniel Milam.
Story by Shannon MacAllister, Staff writer.