An all-star cast alone would warrant a trip to the
theatre. Cicely Tyson’s performance in
The Trip To Bountiful is even a better reason and proves that talent doesn’t
fail with age nor keep from being nominated for a Tony award.
Carrie Watts (Cicely Tyson) is living her later
years, presently 1953, trapped in two room apartment in Houston, Texas with a
controlling daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae (Vanessa Williams) and a hen-pecked
son, Ludie (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Her only “buck list” wish before she dies? A
revisit to Bountiful, a small Texas town of her youth are where her son grew up of
which she still refers to as "home."
Problem? Ludie is too concerned about mom’s health
to allow her to bus it alone and her petty daughter-in-law insists they don't
have money to squander on the tickets.
Escape attempts each month seem to coincide with the arrival of Mrs.
Watts' Social Security check.
In the meantime, Ludie is looking to get a raise and
Jessie Mae wants to “go out” for an evening or two each week as well as get her
hair done.
The scene changes as Carrie slips out to make her
way to the bus station, bringing along her social security check that she had
hidden from Jessie Mae. There doesn’t
seem to be a bus going to Bountiful and rumor is it that most of the town is
gone. One of the passengers waiting in
the “colored” waiting area is Thelma (Condola Rashad). Carrie sits next to her telling her woes and
who she expects to visit. However,
Ludie and Jessie Mae show up as she exits to where the bus is situated. Thelma hearing them arguing about Carrie,
keeps her mouth shut…for awhile.
We then see Carrie and Thelma sitting next to each
other on the bus and sharing information about their lives. As Carrie then waits at the bus depot in
Harrison to get to Bountiful she tries to cheer up Thelma by singing a
Christian hymn of which it appears that Tyson gets the audience to join in.
A sheriff (Tom Wopak) shows up as Ludie has
requested. Carrie begs him to first take
her to Bountiful, since the only money she now has on her is her social
security check which nobody will cash.
She does convince him as she arrives to see her old house boarded
up. While the sheriff waits for her,
Ludie and Jessie Mae arrive and I’ll leave the ending to when you see the
play.
The Trip To Bountiful is playing at the newly
renovated Stephen Sondheim Theatre, formerly the Henry Miller Theatre and where
in 1953, the original production took place.
Most interesting about this theatre is that the mezzanine is located on
the main level and the close orchestra seats are two levels down. Yes, there is an elevator.
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