Broadway Breakdown – Deep Dive: HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE with Margaret Hall

Podcast: Broadway Breakdown
Host: Matt Koplik
Guest: Margaret Hall
Date: February 19, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Matt Koplik and guest Margaret Hall (Playbill writer, Drama Desk nominator, and co-editor of Blood, Sweat, and Queers) take a profound, candid, and unflinching deep dive into Paula Vogel’s seminal play How I Learned to Drive. Tackling the history, artistic impact, and deeply personal resonances of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, they explore its depiction of childhood sexual abuse, grooming, family dynamics, and forgiveness—while interweaving their own perspectives, professional insights, and, at moments, powerful personal testimony. Expect a conversation that’s sensitive, occasionally irreverent, and always deeply engaged.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Framing the Play and Trigger Warning

• The play deals with extremely sensitive subject matter: sexual abuse, grooming, incest, gaslighting, and family trauma.
• Matt and Margaret are mindful of approaching these topics thoughtfully but warn listeners:
  “If this is anything that troubles you or that you really don’t think you can handle listening to, I understand and would recommend that maybe you wait for the next week’s episode.” (05:00)

2. Summary & Elevator Pitch of How I Learned to Drive

• Tells the story of Lil Bit, a girl growing up in 1960s Maryland, who endures a complex, sexually abusive relationship with her uncle Peck.
• The narrative is non-chronological and largely non-literal, mixing memory, therapy, and theatrical abstraction.
• “Her pitch at the time... was that it was Lolita, from the perspective of Lolita.” (06:47)

3. Vogel’s Craft and Impact

• Vogel’s handling is nuanced, empathetic, and refuses simplistic villain/victim binaries.
• “She’s a master of her craft.” (07:30)
• The play was groundbreaking in the 90s for addressing these issues with such honesty and complexity.
• Discussion of Vogel’s other works and the expectation around her more recent plays, such as Mother Play.

4. First Encounters & Artistic Experiences

• Margaret first engaged with the play in a college scene study class (“The photography scene”).
• She and Matt both watched the full original Off Broadway production at the Theater on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT).
• Both reflect on hearing legends of Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse’s original performances.

5. The Importance of Empathy and Nuance

• Vogel portrays Lil Bit as a “not perfect victim”: intelligent, damaged, sometimes even perpetuating harm herself.
• The play forces audiences to continually examine and re-examine their feelings about both her and Peck.
• “It keeps you having to constantly think and work about how you feel about both these characters all the time. And that’s what makes this play, in my opinion, so brilliant.” (23:57, Matt)

6. Representation of Grooming, Abuse, and Recidivism

• The play is “one of, if not the best depictions of childhood sexual assault on stage,” and doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable realities, including cycles and recidivism.
• “It is not something you want to go to in your psyche.” (24:48, Margaret)

7. Play Structure, Character, and Theatricality

• How I Learned to Drive is a “memory play and a therapy session all in one”—non-linear, abstract, often using poetic language.
• Discussion of ensemble roles (female/male/teen chorus) and their function.
• The show’s abstraction keeps explicit stage representations to a minimum—“kind of to our comfort.”

8. Original Production History & Legacy

• Originated at Vineyard Theater Off Broadway in 1997 with Parker & Morse.
• Nearly every NYC non-profit initially rejected it, calling it “not ready,” but Vineyard’s Oskar Eustis championed it.
• Major awards and acclaim followed; never transferred to Broadway at the time.
• “The fact that it became as huge as it was and never transferred to Broadway... there were not a lot of Broadway theaters intimate enough for this production.” (38:15, Matt)

9. Notable Replacements and Artistic Choices

• Later, Molly Ringwald played Lil Bit—her casting brought “meta commentary” due to her 80s teen idol persona.

Deep Dive: Analysis and Personal Resonances

10. Key Scenes and Performances

• Mary-Louise Parker’s ability to “hold onto that particular flavor that can come with grooming: you’re so mature for your age”—without acting too adult or too childish. (44:00+)
• David Morse’s performance as Peck—“the key to him is that he’s quite charming.”
• The martini scene and the hotel scene as turning points—demonstrating Peck’s manipulation and Lil Bit’s dissociation.

11. Directorial Approach

• Mark Brokaw’s “scalpel-like” direction: hyper-minimal, non-naturalistic, focusing on language, emotion, and air.
• “The kind of play that can die a fast death if it is over-directed... The space he gave everything, both in terms of speed and verbalization, [and] not putting all the bells [and whistles].” (92:50, Margaret)

12. Discussion of the Inciting Incident

• The infamous driving scene where an 11-year-old Lil Bit, voiced by the teen chorus to emphasize her youth, is first abused by Peck.
• “You just watch Mary Louise Parker remember it all sort of in real time as she’s living through it.” (85:54, Matt)

13. Personal Testimony and Disclosure

• Matt bravely shares his own teenage experience of grooming and abuse by a much older voice teacher, drawing parallels to Lil Bit’s journey and how abusers isolate, flatter, and manipulate.
• “These predators have a sick sense for recognizing the children who are not with the flock... and exploit it for their own personal gain.” (70:21, Matt)
• The lasting impact, delayed recognition, and the complex feelings of loss, anger, and forgiveness.

14. Cycles of Abuse and Question of Blame

• Vogel leaves many questions unanswered—did someone do this to Peck? Is it learned, inherent, or a product of trauma?
• The play gives both characters complexity, refusing to flatten Uncle Peck into a monster—even as his actions are unequivocally monstrous.

15. Forgiveness, Moving Forward, and Hope

• Lil Bit’s arc is about “moving on and forgiving and not forgetting.”
• “You have to forgive him to let go of the monstrous ties that the good things you have about yourself are tied to.” (91:32, Matt)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Vogel’s Elevator Pitch:
  “Her pitch at the time... was that it was Lolita, from the perspective of Lolita.” (06:47, Matt)
• On Playing Both Victim & Perpetrator:
  “It keeps you having to constantly think and work about how you feel about both these characters all the time. And that’s what makes this play, in my opinion, so brilliant.” (23:57, Matt)
• On Disassociation:
  “Mary-Louise finds it, and she lives on that balance beam in this play. And she also finds a way to make disassociation on stage captivating.” (44:00, Margaret)
• On the Importance of Direction:
  “It’s the kind of play that can die a fast death if it is over-directed... the space he gave everything.” (92:50, Margaret)
• On Survival:
  “It is not a failure to survive.” (113:55, Margaret)
• On Watching TOFT & The Newman's Own Connection:
  “This presentation is presented to you by Newman’s Own... I am glad the salad dressing contributed to some theater.” (62:58, Margaret and Matt; 63:51)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Show & Guest Intro: 00:00–04:00
• Content Warning & Play Summary: 04:00–07:30
• Vogel’s Writing/Play Impact: 07:30–10:55
• First Encounters with the Play: 10:55–12:56
• Major Productions & Performances: 15:00–20:00, 41:36–43:42
• Cycles of Abuse / Recidivism: 24:49–26:44
• On Direction / Minimalism: 92:50–95:30
• TOFT Archive & Newman's Own: 62:34–66:10
• Personal Testimony (Matt): 70:21–77:57
• The Inciting Incident Scene Analysis: 84:00–89:38
• On Forgiveness & Moving On: 91:32–92:19, 113:24–113:55

Additional Highlights

• Mary-Louise Parker’s Return to the Role:
  The emotional difference between her original and the 2022 Broadway revival performances, especially as a mother and with new personal/professional resonance.
• Meta-layers of Casting:
  Molly Ringwald bringing her iconic “girl next door” baggage to the role of Lil Bit.
• Aunt Mary’s Monologue:
  Both hosts cite the scene as devastating and brilliantly crafted, showing how denial and complicity operate—all sympathy twists on a dime when we learn Aunt Mary has known all along.
• Artistic Minimalism:
  The show’s hyper-theatrical abstraction means almost everything is conveyed through suggestion, memory, and voice.

Closing Thoughts

Both Matt and Margaret agree: How I Learned to Drive is a landmark play for its honest, artistically rich, and deeply complex depiction of trauma, cycles of abuse, and the tangled path to forgiveness and self-acceptance. As both a work of art and a mechanism for empathy and understanding, it remains as resonant—and essential—as ever.

“I think we are the proof that is true.” (92:15, Margaret, on the healing potential of the play)

Further Resources:

• Margaret Hall’s work and projects
• Join Matt Koplik’s Substack and Discord for written recaps and deeper conversations: bwaybreakdown.substack.com

Next Episode Teased:
Maybe a Paula Vogel renaissance—possibly Baltimore Waltz with Cherry Jones next time!

Closing Diva:
Elaine Stritch sings us out.

(End of summary)