Review: Theatre Raleigh's THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL

The Trip to Bountiful is set in Houston, Texas in the 1940s after World War II. The story follows Carrie Watts, an elderly Southern woman who dreams of escaping the bustling city to return to her rural home of Bountiful. She sets out on a risky journey to her beloved hometown with her family in hot pursuit. Along the way, she encounters kindness, compassion, and discovers the true meaning of home. The play originally premiered as a television special starring Lillian Gish on NBC on March 1st, 1953. It later opened at Henry Miller’s (now Stephen Sondheim) Theatre on Broadway with some of the TV cast intact on November 3rd that year and closed on December 3rd after 39 performances.

In the years since, The Trip to Bountiful has spawned a 1985 film adaptation (which won its star, Geraldine Page, an Oscar) and a 2013 Broadway revival (which won its star, Cicely Tyson, a Tony). Prior to seeing Theatre Raleigh’s production, my only familiarity with the story was from having seen the film once several years ago. Although I was fortunate enough to have attended the 2013 Tony Awards and will never forget Tyson’s acceptance speech when she won for the revival. So this was my first time getting to experience the original play itself first hand.

As a newcomer, Horton Foote crafted a well constructed story that is funny and poignant with sharp dialogue. Under Eric Woodall’s direction, he has everything staged on Becca Fowler’s unit set that is quite impressively used for multiple locations. It starts off as home for the Watts family, then through imaginative scene transitions becomes different bus stations and so on. Without spoiling anything, one scene change in particular that happened near the end of the show really blew me away. You’ll know it when you see it, but let’s just say that it involves some nice projections from Joshua Reaves. Woodall also successfully keeps everything well paced while at the same time pulls out such lived in performances from his cast.

In the starring role of Carrie Watts is Kim Zimmer, who is best known for her role as Reva Shayne on the CBS soap opera, Guiding Light, which won her 4 Daytime Emmys. Here, she not only gives kind hearted work overall, but also delivers some strong scenes in the second act. Will Ray as her son, Ludie, has a compelling character arc of his own. He starts off as someone who’s caught between his mother and his wife, but eventually climbs his way up from the bottom. Dana Costello gives a fiery performance as his wife, Jessie Mae. The role itself may come off as bossy, but she does go on to show a softer side of herself. Casey Wortham is very sincere as Thelma, a young traveler Carrie meets on her journey who also leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Other highlights include Trevor Johnson as Roy, a charismatic ticket taker, Brian Westbrook as a firm, but understanding sheriff.

If you ask me, this is an excellent start to Theatre Raleigh’s 2025 mainstage season. A classic drama that’s well acted and emotional. I did have tears in my eyes at multiple points. No matter how old you are, you’ll still find a lot to resonate with in The Trip to Bountiful.

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