With standout performances and earnest storytelling, the story of the cross cultural friendship between a retired Jewish school teacher and her black chauffeur has enough heart to soften the most cynical among us attending Driving Miss Daisy at A.D. Players' George Theater.

After Daisy (Patty Tuel Bailey) gets in a car accident, her son, Boolie (Chip Simmons), demands that she use a driver. Stubborn, she refuses to hire one, so Boolie takes charge. He hires Hoke (Alex Morris) to drive his mother around town. What starts as an unwelcome arrangement blossoms into an enduring friendship that spans about 25 years from 1948 to 1973.
Despite Daisy’s and Hoke’s different circumstances in life, their bond evolves to highlight just how much in common they have. Her prejudice against black people is challenged and overwritten through her vulnerable and insightful conversations with Hoke. Even the friendship that emerges between Hoke and Boolie highlights how affection grows once common ground is established.

Under Alice M. Gatling’s direction, friendship reigns supreme. Friendship obscures any employee-employer relations. When Coleburn goes to Boolie to ask for a raise, Coleburn is so endearing and Boolie so disarming that at no moment does the idea of Boolie letting Coleburn go ever seem a possibility.

In fact, the enduring love and affection between all of the characters practically neutralizes any conflict in the story. There's very little tension, but that could be the point.

When Daisy frivolously invites Hoke to a dinner with Martin Luther King Jr while on the way to the event, Hoke is rightfully offended by the last-minute invitation, but his offense is quickly eclipsed by a clip of Martin Luther King Jr’s speech about the two Americas. Friendship can endure a thoughtless gesture. When Coleburn is driving Miss Daisy to visit family in Mobile, he becomes overwhelmed by the need to stop and use the bathroom. He tells Daisy, but she demands that he keep going. Unable to continue, Coleburn stops the car and admonishes Daisy for treating him like a child who she believes needs her permission.

Morris delivers the lines with such comedic bluster that the audience laughs as he exits “go make water.” His speech recounting his emasculation is  glossed over with laughter. It's okay though. Friendship can survive a momentary lapse in respect.

It never hurts to remind everyone of the importance of letting strangers become future friends. However, while this play sprinkles in references to anti semitic violence and racial discrimination, it prefers to focus more on the bond between its characters with good reason when a cast as talented as this one is united.

Patty Tuel Bailey demonstrates an emotional depth that perfectly conveyed her journey from initial resistance to eventual reliance on Hoke. She learns to care about Hoke’s opinion of her. Bailey’s curious glances over Hoke’s shoulder as he drives or her restrained smile when he impresses her are signs of her growing affection toward him. When the final scene occurs and Bailey smiles open-mouthed and without abandon, it’s heartwarming upon remembering how Daisy used to be. Bailey marvels as the cornerstone of this production.

Morris’ Colburn emphatically personifies the warmth and good-natured humor of Hoke. Very little is revealed about Hoke but Morris brings him to life with a subtle and nuanced performance. His heavy steps across the stage, he carries his body throughout the performance like it has been worked his entire life. His physicality contrasts well with his genuine moments of tenderness and unwavering devotion toward Daisy.
Though hired as the driver, it’s the intimate moments when Morris is on his feet speaking with Daisy at the cemetery or in the living room that the full extent of Morris’ growing connection could be witnessed. His profound empathy for how she felt as a widow, his playful sense of humor as he comforts her after her housekeeper dies, his quiet introspection in the silences that reveal his past experiences without explicitly stating it. The dialogue doesn't have to reveal a lot about Hoke for Morris to show the audience who he is.

Simmons imbues Boolie with a distinctive Southern charm. The rhythm and cadence of his speech immediately evoke that of a born and bred Southerner. His jokes roll off the tongue. He's the most comfortable with the language of this play. Even during bouts of frustration or annoyance, he finds ways to squeeze out the comedy in every moment. He reminds the audience that they should be laughing.

He easily shifts between the confident career man and the soft hearted son who wants his mother to like him. As his friendship with Hoke develops, so does his friendship with his mother. Whereas at the beginning Simmons seems to act out of filial duty, by the end he has grown to understand and be more compassionate toward his mother.

Though a simple and mundane truth, it never hurts to see the transformative power of mutual understanding and connection, and this production gets it. Come with a friend and remind yourself that we all have something in common: being human.

Performances continue through May 12 at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8: p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays at the George Theater, 5420 Westheimer. For more information call, 713-526-2721 or visit adplayers.org $23-$71.