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The play's opening scene takes place in suburban Maryland during the summer of 1969. Its central character, 17-year-old Li'l Bit (Sherri Parker Lee), is receiving a driving lesson from her uncle Peck (James Black). But within moments he is lifting her blouse, and we realize that Li'l Bit's close relationship with her uncle is, in fact, a sexual one, but Peck is no dirty old man. Both characters are likable, and the chemistry between them is excellent. The tension between public acceptance of their relationship and reprehension of pedophilic incest drives the play.

Subsequent scenes consist of assorted flashbacks from Li'l Bit's life. As a child, she tries to learn the ways of the world from her mother, aunt and grandmother, or runs to Peck as her confidant in times of adolescent turmoil. In other scenes she is older, reflecting on the emotional consequences of her liaisons with Peck. Lee performed convincingly throughout. She seemed enough like a young and helpless naif to win our sympathies, but enough like a mature and self-aware woman to make the romance and physical affection Li'l Bit shares with Peck appear almost acceptable.

Meanwhile, Black gave a stunning performance as Peck, a man troubled by alcoholism and self-doubt who molests his niece but also listens to her as no one else in her fractured family does. Black managed to exude Southern charm even while challenging moral boundaries and stood out as the star of this show. Black and Lee retain the same simple costumes throughout the show, emphasizing the continuity of familial bond that underlies their ever-changing erotic relationship.

Three other actors (Kevin Waldron, Elizabeth Heflin and Krista Forster) serve as a Greek chorus, announcing scene themes with clever epigrams based on driver's education filmstrips. The chorus members also play all the other parts, including Li'l Bit's high school classmates and family members. All three acted their roles well, and the technique effectively creates a tightly knit, intensely dramatic experience. Nonetheless, the chorus' multiple roles require some suspension of disbelief, particularly when Waldron plays Li'l Bit's grandfather but seems younger than she is.

The Alley performs How I Learned to Drive on its tiny Neuhaus Arena Stage. This small theater-in-the-round venue further enhances the intimate nature of the play, but a few staging problems are distracting. From our seats at the edge of the south seating area, we could see

only Lee's back during her opening and closing monologues, much of the climactic hotel room scene and all of a key restaurant scene. Of course, this detracted from the power of her lines and rendered me curious about whether the play might have worked better on a traditional stage.

Playwright Paula Vogel once described How I Learned to Drive as an homage and response to Lolita . Vogel expands on the issues of incest and pedophilia raised by Nabokov's novel, but from a young woman's point of view. She also manages to treat a range of other issues, from adultery to the social role of alcohol.

Vogel's strong script captured the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. As the show skips back and forth in time, the audience gradually realizes the extent of Li'l Bit's loneliness and exploitation by Peck and grows more and more uncomfortable with the couple's interactions. The final few scenes, in which a pubescent Li'l Bit enacts sexy poses before Peck's camera and a college-aged Li'l Bit finally ends the affair, are extremely intense and not easy to watch.

On the other hand, How I Learned to Drive contains several hilarious moments. Whenever the tone of the show grows too heavy, someone cracks a joke, often refering to Li'l Bit's large bust. Breast jokes and, more generally, the use of levity in serious works are hallmarks of Vogel's plays; take, for example, the title of her latest collection, The Mammary Plays , and the rapid-fire humor present in her last major critical success, The Baltimore Waltz , a reflection on the AIDS crisis.

When I returned to Rice after seeing How I Learned to Drive , friends kept asking whether I enjoyed the play. I couldn't honestly tell them yes, given the intense emotional discomfort I had felt during most of it. However, I was very glad to have seen a good show done well. The Alley Theater's How I Learned to Drive is a skillful rendition of a work dealing with a host of important contemporary issues, and it will resonate deeply for anyone who has ever regretted sex.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the October 16, 1998 issue.