'Trip To Bountiful' A Must See

A delightful and heartwarming domestic drama, The Trip To Bountiful is now playing at the , San Leandro's own professional theatre.

The plot revolves around Carrie Watts, an older woman who yearns to revisit Bountiful, the Texas town in which she grew up. 

She is thwarted, however, by her overprotective and under-assertive son, Ludie, and her remarkably unpleasant daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae, who resents having to live with Carrie, yet wants control of her monthly pension checks.

The playwright, Horton Foote, was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplay for the 1962 film, To Kill a  Mockingbird.

This is a must-see production. The acting is excellent. The characters are beautifully and delicately crafted, with subtle nuances that bring them to life. The portrayals are consistent, right down to the southern accent that one would expect to hear in a small Texas town.

I would especially like to acknowledge the performances of the three actresses, Phoebe Moyer, who plays Carrie, Sylvia Burboeck, who plays her daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae, and Siobhan Marie Doherty, who plays a lady on the bus.

The house is small (it seats 67) and director Kimberly Richards clearly understands the parameters of working within an intimate setting. This is a domestic drama written in the traditional style, and the audience become voyeurs in the lives of the characters.

The set is simple, and excellent use is made of the stage as it transforms from a two room apartment, to a bus station, to a bus and, finally, to the property of a desolate and dilapidated house where Carrie grew up.

Images of different locations projected on the back wall further enhance the setting and fill in the details of the scene.  The costumes are perfectly integrated with the set and the musical interludes help identify an earlier era, that of the 1950's.

This is a terrific show.  It only runs through February 26.  Make sure to get your tickets before they sell out! The theatre is located at 999 East 14th Street, and parking is easy and close. The box office is opened Tuesday through Friday, from noon to 4:00 P.M., and the phone number is (510) 632-8850.  The e-mail address is CCTofSL@yahoo.com. For show dates and times click here.

(Follow us on Twitter @sanleandropatch or like us at Facebook.com/sanleandropatch)