The Trip to Bountiful (play)
| The Trip to Bountiful | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Horton Foote |
| Subject | Family |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Houston and Bountiful, TX |
The Trip to Bountiful is a play by Horton Foote. The play premiered March 1, 1953 on NBC-TV, before being produced on the Broadway stage November 3-December 5, 1953. Its Broadway production earned Jo Van Fleet a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 8th Tony Awards. The role of Carrie Watts won Geraldine Page the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film adaptation. The Signature Theatre Company revived the play Off-Broadway in December 2005 starring Lois Smith as Carrie. She won the Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama Desk Award for her performance. Most recently, Cicely Tyson received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play at the 67th Tony Awards for the 2013 Broadway production, which earned a total of 4 Tony Award nominations.
Contents
Productions
The play premiered on NBC television on March 1, 1953, starring Lillian Gish. It subsequently premiered on Broadway at Henry Miller's Theatre in November 1953 for a run of 39 performances. The play was produced Off-Broadway by the Signature Theatre Company at the Peter Norton Space in 2005. It was revived on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, (which stands where Henry Miller's Theatre stood) April 23-October 9, 2013.
Vincent J. Donehue was the director of the NBC version, summer theatre preview versions, the 1953 Broadway version and the subsequent United States tour.[1] The 2005 Off-Broadway production was directed by Harris Yulin. The 2013 Broadway revival was directed by Michael Wilson, with scenic design by Jeff Cowie, costumes by Van Broughton Ramsey lighting by Rui Rita, and original music and sound design by John Gromada.[2] The 2013 production marked Cicely Tyson's first Broadway appearance since 1983.[3] She was joined by Cuba Gooding Jr, Condola Rashād and Vanessa Williams.[4] The African-American cast is a non-issue because the themes are blind to race.[5]
Production history
| Theatre | Opening Date | Closing Date | Perfs. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Miller's Theatre, Broadway | November 3, 1953 | December 5, 1953 | 39[6] | Broadway premiere |
| Peter Norton Space, New York | December 4, 2005 | March 11, 2006 | 128[7] | Off-Broadway revival |
| Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway | April 23, 2013 | October 9, 2013 | 187 (+27 previews)[2] | Broadway revival |
Historical casting
The following table show the casts of the principal original productions:
| Role | NBC Telecast 1953[8] |
Original Broadway 1953[6] |
Peter Norton revival 2005[7] |
Broadway revival 2013[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrie Watts | Lillian Gish | Lois Smith | Cicely Tyson | |
| Ludie Watts | John Beal | Gene Lyons | Devon Abner | Cuba Gooding, Jr. |
| Thelma | Eva Marie Saint | Meghan Andrews | Condola Rashād | |
| Jessie Mae Watts | Eileen Heckart | Jo Van Fleet | Hallie Foote | Vanessa Williams |
| Sheriff | Frank Overton | James DeMarse | Tom Wopat | |
| Houston Ticket Man | Will Hare | Gene Jones | Devon Abner | |
| Second Houston Ticket Man | William Hansen | David Clive | Sam Kitchin | Curtis Billings |
| Harrison Ticket Man | Dennis Cross | Frederic Downs | Frank Girardeau | — |
| Roy | — | — | — | Arthur French |
| Attendant | Larry Bolton | — | — | — |
| Travelers | — | Helen Cordes Neil Laurence Salem Ludwig Patricia MacDonald |
— | — |
| Ensemble | — | — | — | Pat Bowie Leon Addison Brown Susan Heyward Linda Powell Charles Turner |
| Others | Frederic Downs Gene Lyons Jo Van Fleet |
— | — | — |
Plot summary
The play involves a "woman who has to live with a daughter-in-law who hates her and a son who does not dare take her side."[9] While the unhappy family lives in a Houston apartment, Carrie Watts dreams of returning to Bountiful, where she was raised. She eventually runs away and embarks by bus to her destination. She meets several people along the way and upon her arrival, she is whisked back to Houston by her son and daughter-in-law.[9]
Critical commentary
When the play debuted on Broadway in 1953, Brooks Atkinson wrote in The New York Times of Lillian Gish's performance in the role of Carrie Watts "As a weary old woman, homesick for her youth in the country, she gives an inspired performance that is alive in every detail and conveys unconquerable spirit."[9] Of the production, Atkinson wrote "...the performance is so pitilessly exact that you can hardly tell where the writing leaves off and the acting begins."[9] Atkinson describes Jo Van Fleet's role as Jessie Mae Watts, which earned the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 8th Tony Awards as a "penetrating performance."[9]
Lois Smith won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play, Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actress in a Play, Obie Award Outstanding Performance and Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress, for her 2005 Off-Broadway leading performance as Carrie Watts.[7] Smith was lauded in The New York Times by Ben Brantley with comments such as " I had never before realized how blue and bottomless her gaze is" and she "brings pure, revivifying oxygen to the role" for which Geraldine Page won Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1985 film version.[10] Although a revival, Brantley noted "What this production provides that makes 'The Trip to Bountiful' seem newborn is its artful counterpoint of the smothering, claustrophobic details of daily life and Carrie's barrier-melting faith in her destiny."[10]
In order to prepare for her role in the 2013 Broadway revival, Tyson visited playwright Horton Foote's home in rural Wharton, Texas.[11] After viewing a matinee, Ben Brantley panned the production calling it a "generally sluggish production" that "only fitfully captures the rhythms of everyday melancholy that you associate with Foote" and noted several other reservations such as "This production allows too much dead air between lines...The show lacks the deceptively easy conversational flow" its director has previously demonstrated. He also notes that the show "often undercuts itself by broadening comic moments".[5] Regarding Ms. Tyson's character singing hymns to herself during the production, Terry Teachout commented that during numerous performances, "a fair number of people in the theater sang along with her. It didn't look to me as though she was trying to encourage them, either: They just joined in..." and that a friend told him, "Three women sitting next to me started singing along, softly at first, and by the second hymn a good part of the audience was joyously singing with them. The theater was everyone's church that night, not just mine. To describe it sounds hokey, but it was anything but." [12]
Awards and nominations
Original 1953 Broadway production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Play | Jo Van Fleet | Won |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Special Award | Eva Marie Saint | Won[13] | |
| Theatre World Award | Eva Marie Saint | Won | ||
2005 Off-Broadway revival
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Actress in a Play | Lois Smith | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Devon Abner | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | John McKernon | Nominated | ||
| Lifetime Achievement | Horton Foote | Won | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Lois Smith | Won | |
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Hallie Foote | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated | |||
| Obie Award | Distinguished Performance by an Actress | Lois Smith | Won | |
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Revival | Won | ||
| Outstanding Director | Harris Yulin | Won | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actress | Lois Smith | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress | Hallie Foote | Won | ||
| Meghan Andrews | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Martin Pakledinaz | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | John McKernon | Nominated | ||
2013 Broadway revival
The Broadway production was recognized with Drama League Award nominations for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play and with Distinguished Performance Award nominations for both Cicely Tyson and Vanessa L. Williams.[14] The production received four Outer Critics Circle Award nominations: Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway), Outstanding Director of a Play (Michael Wilson), Outstanding Actress in a Play (Cicely Tyson) and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Vanessa L. Williams), with Tyson winning.[15] The play earned three 58th Drama Desk Award nominations, with Tyson winning for Outstanding Actress in a Play.[16] The play received four Tony Award nominations for the 67th Tony Awards, winning Best Actress in a Play.[17] The show received an Artios Award nomination from The Casting Society of America for Outstanding Achievement in Casting, New York Broadway Theatre – Drama.[18]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Drama League Award | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Nominated[14] | |
| Distinguished Performance Award | Cicely Tyson | Nominated[14] | ||
| Vanessa L. Williams | Nominated[14] | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Nominated[15] | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Play | Michael Wilson | Nominated[15] | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Play | Cicely Tyson | Won[15] | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Vanessa L. Williams | Nominated[15] | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated[16] | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Play | Cicely Tyson | Won[16] | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Vanessa L. Williams | Nominated[16] | ||
| Tony Award (67th) |
Best Revival of a Play | Nominated[17] | ||
| Best Actress in a Play | Cicely Tyson | Won[17] | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Play | Condola Rashād | Nominated[17] | ||
| Best Sound Design | John Gromada | Nominated[17] | ||
| Artios Award | Outstanding Achievement in Casting New York Broadway Theatre – Drama |
David Caparelliotis | Nominated[18] | |
Notes
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External links
- The Trip to Bountiful at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Trip to Bountiful <templatestyles src="Noitalic/styles.css"/>(1953 Broadway version) at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Trip to Bountiful at Playbill Vault (1953)
- "1953 NBC version" at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- The Trip to Bountiful <templatestyles src="Noitalic/styles.css"/>(2005 Off-Broadway version) at the Internet off-Broadway Database
- 2013 Broadway version at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Trip to Bountiful at Playbill Vault (2013)
