Onstage: The Trip to Bountiful

By Rick Pender
CityBeat

Horton Foote wrote award-winning screenplays for To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. His 1953 teleplay, The Trip to Bountiful, was about a woman trapped in a cramped Houston apartment where she yearns to return to her Gulf Coast hometown.

It starred movie legend Lillian Gish as Carrie Watts, a widow who embarks on a life-affirming journey. A critically acclaimed 1985 movie version featured Geraldine Page in the role, earning her an Academy Award.

Now it’s onstage at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park with an African-American cast, headed by Lizan Mitchell as the stubborn woman.

Director Timothy Douglas says, “This Horton Foote classic has universal richness and depth to spare.” He says this African-American filter “teases even deeper layers of nuance out of the play, which adds meaningful impact while still confidently contained within the boundaries of the playwright’s original intent.”

Showtimes Tuesday-Sunday through April 7; tickets are $30-$70. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888, cincyplay.com .