"How I Learned to Drive" runs now through March 26 at the Allen Theatre, presented by Cleveland Play House. Actor Michael Brusasco stars as "Uncle Peck," and he visited WCLV to speak with Mark Satola.
Cleveland Play House shifts gears from playful ( Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery) to profound with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive. Written by Paula Vogel - one of the preeminent figures in American theater today - How I Learned to Drive traverses taboo territory with humor, heart, and empathy. Set in Maryland in the 1960s, the play takes us on a ride (both literally and figuratively) through the memories of Li’l Bit – a teenager who finds herself in a complicated relationship with an older man. Masterfully veering in and out of personal memory, How I Learned to Drive takes a deeply compassionate look at how we are shaped by the people who hurt us, and the ultimate release we experience through the act of forgiveness. Considered “One of the most discomfiting love stories to emerge from the American Theater” by The New York Times, How I Learned to Drive will be helmed by Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Laura Kepley.
Kepley states: “We are incredibly fortunate to have Paula Vogel’s compelling play as part of our 2016-17 Season. How I Learned to Drive is a tender, seductive and dangerous trip down memory lane. Li’l Bit has a secret that she has been keeping hidden for many years, but by revealing this secret over the course of the play, she is essentially saving her life. This is an empowering and compassionate story about confronting your past, taking hold of the wheel, and driving forward.”