"How I Learned to Drive" - by Paula Vogel - Concord Players (Concord, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Allison Rudmann Putnam as "Li’l Bit" in a scene from "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" by Paula Vogel presented by Concord Players in Concord, MA. now playing through November 23, 2024. Photo Credit Chris Pollari)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“In most families, relatives get names like ‘Junior,’ or ‘Brother’ or ‘Bubba.’ In my family, if we call someone ‘Big Papa,’ it’s not because he’s tall."
- ("Li'l Bit") / Paula Vogel
Concord Players
Presents Paula Vogel's
"HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE"
Written by Paula Vogel
Directed by J. Mark Baumhardt
Cast Includes: Sean Barney as "Male Greek Chorus," Nicole Rawdon as "Female Greek Chorus," Allison Rudmann Putnam as "Li’l Bit," Gordon Ellis as "Uncle Peck," Claire Kinton as "Teenage Greek Chorus."
Additional Creative Team:
Producers – Nadine Sa, Tom Sullivan; Stage Manager – Monica Bruno; Assistant Stage Manager – Henry Santiago; Set Design and Set Dressing – Allen Bantly; Properties and Set Dressing – Anne Bantley; Costume Design – Sue Flint; Lighting Design – Susan Tucker; Intimacy Coordination – Anna Silva; Sound Design and Projections – J. Mark Baumhardt; Backstage Running Crew – Charlotte Kelley, Madison Sedlor, Allison White; Sound Board Operator – Mathew Tse; Sound Mentor – Scuch Pascucci.
Performances:
November 8, 2024 through November 23, 2024
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
All performances to be held at 51 Walden Street, Concord, MA.
TICKETS:
Call # 978 369-2990 or visit https://concordplayers.org/
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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Just in time for Thanksgiving, Concord Players offers up a serving of concentrated drama with "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" - a play which (in all seriousness) is on a difficult subject and contains subject matter which some may find uncomfortable at times.
Written by Paula Vogel, the one-act drama unfolds in non-linear fashion, moving forward and backward in time, mainly centering on the life of an abuse victim during her formative teen years.
"HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" debuted Off-Broadway in 1997 and garnered acclaim, ultimately receiving the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
It's revival in 2022 earned a nomination for a Tony Award.
The play is a kind of a “rear-view mirror,” recollecting the sexual abuse of a minor and how it was more gradual a process rather than a singular, spontaneous incident.
The villain of the piece is a predator who played a "long-game" to best achieve what they wanted.
No matter where we are in the victim’s life, every scene comes with an uncomfortable, if not terrifying, revelation, driving us toward a cataclysmic conclusion.
A few chairs, a stool, a couple of tables and a rollout bed are the only objects used on an otherwise bare Concord stage in this black box style production.
"HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" is perceptively, sensitively and effectively staged at Concord Players by director J. Mark Baumhardt.
As events unfold, projections are shown against the back wall with an audio guide of “driving lessons” designed to help propel the events of the story forward.
In "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE," our journey begins in 1969 Maryland, where we meet a woman, referred to by her family as Li’l Bit (Allison Rudmann Putnam).
(Photo: Gordon Ellis as "Uncle Peck" with Allison Rudmann Putnam as "Li’l Bit" in a scene from "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" by Paula Vogel presented by Concord Players in Concord, MA. now playing through November 23, 2024. Photo Credit Chris Pollari)
In a gut-wrenching performance, Putnam as Li’l Bit recalls her story of being sexually and emotionally maneuvered - victimized by her Uncle Peck (Gordon Ellis) over the course of her formative years.
Putnam gives an unrelenting bravura performance as Li’l Bit who, in both the retrospective and introspective moments of the play, seems either unaware of the extent of her toxic environment - or is blocking it out for unclear reasons.
The fascinating aspect of this “toxicity” is that, if you view it from the teen’s perspective, the toxicity wasn’t coming from Peck.
It was coming from the rest of Li’l Bit’s family and classmates, all portrayed by a “Greek Chorus” of actors (Sean Barney, Nicole Rawdon and Claire Kinton, all appearing in multiple roles throughout the show) and consummately constructed by Vogel.
The versatility displayed by the trio of actors in the Concord Players’ Greek Chorus is exceptional.
The actors also assist in most of the scene transitions in the play, which are executed fluidly.
It may not seem surprising that Li’l Bit sees Uncle Peck as her only savior FROM the toxicity surrounding her.
That’s the damnedest part of all of this because, as the manipulating sexual predator he is, that is exactly what Peck wants her to believe.
Ellis, as the "Machiavellian" Uncle Peck, is outstanding in portraying Peck’s deceptively amiable nature.
The predator retains a closeness to his intended victim(s) – so Peck lures in Li’l Bit, reassures her, thus becoming her closest confidant.
Peck orchestrates his dominance, making himself the only person Li’l Bit feels she can turn to.
He is, in effect, steering her to where he wants and "grooming" her.
And this is not the southerner’s “first rodeo,” either, meaning many sexual predators rarely have just one victim.
In the publication “Darkness to Light” (available from d2l.org) the subject of “grooming” is examined, noting the following:
- Abusers often form relationships with potential victims and their families prior to the abuse.
- “Grooming” is a process by which an offender gradually draws a victim into a sexual relationship and maintains that relationship in secrecy.
- At the same time, the offender may also fill roles within the victim’s family that make the offender trusted and valued.
(There are other available resources out there that discuss the subject in much clearer detail. The above is merely pointed out for context as it relates to the story.)
(Photo: Nicole Rawdon as "Female Greek Chorus" in a scene from "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" by Paula Vogel presented by Concord Players in Concord, MA. now playing through November 23, 2024. Photo Credit Chris Pollari)
One of the show’s most unsettling scenes is a monologue by Ellis told in a flashback sequence involving Peck alone on a fishing trip with Li'l Bit's cousin "Bobby."
In Vogel’s script, certain revelations made by other female family members make it clear that, at least in the area where Li’l Bit grew up, it was not all that uncommon a practice to see the “grooming” of young girls to make themselves emotionally and physically available to older men...in some cases, much older men.
At several points in the story, Uncle Peck recalls to Li’l Bit how he "held her in the palm of his hand" when she was born.
From that statement, folks in the audience might well cringe but, at the time, Li’l Bit finds it a rare source of comfort and much-needed reassurance.
Again, that is exactly how he wants her to feel.
The "very married" Uncle Peck cunningly uses his charm and "caring nature" as a way to steer Li’l Bit toward his direction.
(Photo: The CAST of "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" by Paula Vogel presented by Concord Players in Concord, MA. now playing through November 23, 2024. Photo Credit Chris Pollari)
Ellis' portrayal of Peck is not done as overtly sinister as the character is playing a bizarre "long game" of control with his niece.
Part of his method of reinforcing this control over his prey is by teaching Li'l Bit to drive.
This is how the Vogel story metaphorically unfolds, using a kind of "driving instructor manual" and having the cast announcing the various "rules of the road" to help set up each scene.
At some very twisted point, as Peck begins to teach Li’l Peck how to drive, that same palm that held her as a newborn starts to travel to places on Li’l Bit’s body that it should never go.
All the while, it seems as though most of Li’l Bit's family is oblivious to Uncle Peck's "obsession" with the child…or are they?
If not, though, as in any case of perceived abuse, why doesn't - or, in hindsight, didn’t - someone speak up sooner?
In retrospect, it seems it was because, instead of rear-view mirrors, this family came equipped with blinders attached for accessories.
Leaving Uncle Peck the only consistent (male) parental figure Li'l Bit felt she could turn to - which was exactly what the coersive Uncle Peck was counting on.
Peck’s scheming is done clandestinely, meticulously, and in the guise of having nothing but the best of intentions for this young girl.
To listen to Uncle Peck speak is to see him as someone who is compassionate; someone who completely cares for Li'l Bit - NOT someone who would have such disgusting, diabolical designs.
Li'l Bit knows something is definitely wrong with this unusual "relationship" she shares with Uncle Peck.
However, as intuitively portrayed by Putnam, Li’l Bit feels (or, in fact, is MADE to "feel") that he is the only person who really "sees" her, who "gets" her - and that proves to be a huge component in his overwhelming hold over her.
"HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" is not lighthearted fare.
It is an involved tale, and one that will be difficult for some to sit through.
There are some moments of humor, but it is a dark humor and coming out of situations that some may not find so funny.
Occasionally, the video projections used were “photobombed” by a straggling insect or two. Now THAT was funny. Otherwise, though, the projections were perfectly effective.
Staged well under Baumhardt's even-handed direction, the overall success of the Concord Players’ production is due to the splendid respective performances by Putnam and Ellis, well-supported by actors Barney, Rawdon and Kinton.
(Photo: Allison Rudmann Putnam as "Li’l Bit," in a scene from "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" by Paula Vogel presented by Concord Players in Concord, MA. now playing through November 23, 2024. Photo Credit Chris Pollari)
Posted on a bulletin board in the lobby of the Concord Players theatre are available resources for anyone who might find the subject matter triggering, including the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) which can be contacted at www.rainn.org or through their 24/7 Hotline: 1-800-656-4673.
METRMag applauds the consideration by Concord Players to post the contact information for these resources and prays no one actually will have the need to avail themselves of them. (Thankfully they ARE there, though, if required)
Concord Players’ "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" continues in Concord until November 23rd, 2024.
Coming up next at Concord Players beginning February 14, 2025 will be “SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE,” based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard adapted for the stage by Lee Hall with added music by Paddy Cunneen.
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Approximately 100 minutes with no intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
The 1998 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Drama "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" is a dramatic masterpiece from legendary playwright Paula Vogel.
Check your mirrors, place your hands at ten-and-two, and experience one of the greatest American plays ever written.
Nominated for the 2022 Tony Award for Best Revival, "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" puts us behind the wheel of a ‘56 Chevy with our protagonist, Li’l Bit, as she looks back on her rocky journey from adolescence to adulthood.
Fasten your seatbelts as she navigates dark family secrets, teenage growing pains, and her turbulent relationship with her Uncle Peck.
Named “One of the Top 25 American Plays Since Angels in America” by The New York Times, "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE" traverses the full range of human emotions - from hilarity to heartbreak.
Vogel’s examination of the highway towards womanhood has only taken on more urgency and meaning since it was first first staged.
ABOUT THE CONCORD PLAYERS
THE CONCORD PLAYERS are proud of their continuous record of presenting quality theatre to the citizens of Concord and the surrounding communities. Three major productions are mounted each season. In addition, one-acts, such as the annual entry into the Eastern Mass Assn of Community Theatres (EMACT) Spring Festival, are frequently presented. Workshops in acting, directing, and technical theatre are also offered to the membership.
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of our organization is to produce and perform quality theatre for the citizens of Concord and the surrounding communities. We encourage the participation of people with an interest in technical theatre, as well as in performing.
51 Walden St
Concord, MA 01742
# 978 369-2990
