The Trip to Bountiful tells the story of Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who dreams of returning to her small hometown of Bountiful, Texas one last time, against the wishes of her overprotective son and domineering daughter-in-law.
What Is the Story of The Trip to Bountiful?
Horton Foote’s emotional 1953 play tells the story of Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who longs to return to her beloved hometown of Bountiful, Texas, one final time before she dies. Carrie’s protective son Ludie and authoritarian daughter-in-law Jessie Mae forbid her to leave Houston, although Carrie and Jessie Mae are constantly butting heads in the Watts family's two-room apartment. While Ludie is at work and Jessie Mae is at the drugstore, Carrie escapes to the bus station, and befriends a young woman named Thelma. Together, the new friends travel toward Bountiful together, but when Carrie arrives in nearby Harrison, Texas, she discovers her beloved town isn’t the same as she remembered it.
"Move over, you adorable scamps in ‘Annie.’ Settle down, weird girls in ‘Matilda.’ Broadway has a new unlikely heroine, a frail widow who hums hymns and has a bad heart."
Associated Press
Mark Kennedy
"[Vanessa Williams is] a delight to watch, and looks sensational in Van Broughton Ramsey’s period costumes."
The Hollywood Reporter
David Rooney
"Following a 30-year Broadway absence, Tyson gives an awe-inspiring performance. She sings, she dances, she does everything but cartwheels."
Entertainment Weekly
Melissa Rose Bernardo
"At the matinee I attended, Ms. Tyson’s interpretation of that hymn was so infectious that much of the audience was soon singing and clapping along. Ms. Tyson turned full-face to us, raised her arms and swayed in encouragement, like an impassioned choir master."
The New York Times
Ben Brantley