Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –

Teaching teenagers to drive is a tragi-comic affair for most families but when a skilled comedian like Jaston Williams takes it on in his “Don’t Blame the Car” solo show, it promises to be downright hilarious.

The nationally known playwright and actor, who has a special connection to San Antonio, is returning to the Classic Theater this summer for a six-performance run of his biographically-based comedy that begins by looking back on his early driving experiences when he was too short to see the road over the steering wheel. Both his mother and father took a shot at teaching him, with mixed and scary results, apparently.

There are other car-centered stories, as well one about a twirler who repeatedly injured herself with her own baton, and some revealing insights explaining why Williams “holds a lifelong grudge against potatoes.”

There you go! They don’t like to reveal too much about the show, so you’ll have to buy a ticket and attend a performance if you want to hear more about the misadventures of young Jaston and his other life experiences.

Williams is best known here and across the U.S. as the co-author and co-star of the “Greater Tuna” plays which focused on the folksy and colorful inhabitants of the fictional Texas town of Tuna. He and his partner, Joe Sears, portrayed all the characters. It was often reported that the two conceived the “Tuna” project while relaxing in San Pedro Park. Williams received the L.A. Dramalogue Award for both “Greater Tuna” – the first of four “Tuna” plays – and for “Tuna Christmas,” which was published in “Best Plays of 1995.” Other awards and accolades followed, including the 2013 Texas Medal of the Arts. He lives in Austin where he has performed on multiple stages and received critical praise.

“Don’t Blame the Car,” 8 p.m. June 27, 28 and 29; 2 p.m. June 29 and 30, and 7 p.m. June 30; Classic Theater of San Antonio, 1924 Fredericksburg Rd.; $25; call 210-589-8450