Driving Miss Daisy, the much loved Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award winning play, hits the Detour Theatre stage on September 13.

A moving story of friendship told with humour, warmth and grace, Driving Miss Daisy is set in Atlanta, and spans 1948 to 1973.

The show opens with Boolie (played by Chris Parnell) trying to reason with his mother that her driving days are over. This is no easy task when your mother is the sharp-witted, disagreeable and ageing Jewish widow Daisy Werthan.

Played by Kim Williamson, Daisy has just destroyed the neighbour's garage trying to back out of her driveway. Reluctantly she surrenders the driver's seat to Hoke Coleburn (played by David Tauranga), a proud, softly-spoken man.

At first, Daisy's stubbornness and cultural prejudices cause much friction, but over the course of 25 years, Hoke becomes not only her chauffeur but against, all odds, her best friend.

'The writing is so beautifully crafted,” says director Devon Williamson. 'There really is not a single word in the entire play that doesn't need to be there.

'Incredibly, or perhaps because of this, the play is the height of elegance, charm and wit. We've got a very talented and experienced cast in Kim, David and Chris. Each is an established actor with an impressive resume and they're superb in our production.”

Driving Miss Daisy runs from September 13-29. Bookings are available online at: www.iticket.co.nz, over the phone on: 0508 iTICKET and over the counter at Tauranga i-SITE

Information on the Detour Theatre Trust can be found via: www.detour.co.nz