A tragedy with comic underpinnings, "How I Learned to Drive" is a compelling play that will make you rethink the way you view just about everything, from adultery and child abuse to cars and driving.
An intimate theater with fewer than 60 seats, the Devanaughn Theatre is located in Boston's South End. The company prides itself on bringing "passionate and transforming works to the Boston stage." Literally an underground theatre, Devanaughn offers a unique setting for local actors to work and for audiences of all sorts to enjoy truly compelling drama.
Entering the house, the audience is greeted with a colorful set design decorated with an array of lively pieces and various parts of the car that serve as an interesting metaphor. The female lead, called Li'l Bit, uses the car as an escape from the difficulties of her family life.
The central motif of the play is, not surprisingly, driving. Uncle Peck teaches his young niece how to drive, and it is on these trips that he teaches her a few other unexpected lessons. Peck is a child molester. Li'l Bit is 11 years old when he first touches her on a long car trip during which he is supposed to teach her how to drive.
The story is told with Li'l Bit as the narrator; the audience is taken through different episodes of her life as she recalls them. The aforementioned scene, the beginning of the abuse, is actually revealed near the conclusion of the performance, but it is clear throughout that their relationship is more than that of an uncle and a niece.
The opening scene features our two main characters, Peck and Li'l Bit, sitting next to each other on a bench-style car seat, circa 1970. They sit about a foot apart, and they stare straight ahead. The distance, though inches, feels like miles. As they converse, he asks her if he can "have a reward" for abstaining from drinking for the previous week. He pantomimes fondling her breasts; her only reaction is increased discomfort.
Typical of the lighthearted approach that both author and director initially take in dealing with such a taboo issue, Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" plays as Peck touches her. Another example of this type of seriocomic staging is a scene where three generations of women in the family talk about men. The two elder women are talking about sex while they peel carrots, those not-so-subtle phallic symbols.
The action gets serious as we see our two main characters alone more frequently. The tension certainly rises, especially in one scene which occurs when Li'l Bit returns from college and visits Peck for her 18th birthday. He has been sending her letters and gifts incessantly since she left, counting down to the day when she would turn 18 and become legal.
In a revealing, climactic conversation, Li'l Bit tells him that she wants nothing to do with him, finally standing up to him. Peck's voice breaks as he pleads with her, "Just lie down in bed with me, clothes on ... we can just hold one another."
She submits and joins him in bed. After a moment, she gets up and tells him she felt nothing. He is clearly at the end of his rope, and he pulls out a ring to propose to her. Finally, Li'l Bit works up the courage to rebuke her abusive uncle, but instead of feeling free and justified, confusion sets in.
Uncle Peck and his niece stand at opposite sides of the stage, facing away from each other. Both are distraught and at a loss for words. He is in tears, while she stands trembling, neither having any idea what to do next.
The audience leaves this scene and the play as a whole confused as to how to feel and who to sympathize with. Both Li'l Bit and Uncle Peck were affected deeply by the conflict, and both are left alone, upset and confused.
The closing monologue from Li'l Bit, who is played by the highly capable Alex Zielke, is set to a jazz trumpet rendition of the classic "When I Fall in Love." This ironic commentary goes along with the highly eclectic musical selection, which enhances the action. Another high point was the Cole Porter standard "In the Still of the Night," accompanied by a little song and dance routine from some of the actors.
Overall, this show goes well above and beyond anything that could have been expected. If you liked Paula Vogel's "Hot 'n' Throbbing," then "How I Learned to Drive" is a must-see, as it is undoubtedly another one of her emotional masterpieces. This poignant performance is one that viewers will not soon forget.
