Theatre Raleigh's "The Trip to Bountiful" Explores Life's Most Timeless Themes

Casey Wortham as Thelma and Kim Zimmer as Carrie Watts. Photo by Jennifer Robertson Photography.

When most people think of a “coming-of-age” story, they think of children or teens with lots of lessons ahead of them. However, as The Trip to Bountiful, a beautifully written play by Horton Foote, onstage now at Theatre Raleigh, demonstrates, the need to grow, change, and develop can continue well into adulthood. In fact, in this script, the protagonist, Carrie Watts (Kim Zimmer) is in the very late stages of her life, and yet she still yearns for more. She longs to connect with a past version of herself and with the home she grew up in, all of which, according to her, can be found in the town of Bountiful.

Unfortunately for Carrie, she’s stuck in Houston with her adult son, Luddie (Will Ray) and his demanding wife, Jessie Mae (Dana Costello). Together, they reside in a somewhat rundown but not derelict home, which is expertly brought to life by Becca Fowler’s keenly artistic set design. While their shared life isn’t horrible, it’s definitely . . . empty. Luddie feels displeased with how far, or rather, how not-so-far he’s gotten in his life, and Jessie Mae spends her days drinking sodas, getting her hair done, reading movie magazines, and barking orders at Carrie.

In the first act, the characters’ relationships are explored through seemingly mundane interactions, each of them meticulously directed by Eric Woodall and bolstered by impeccably nuanced performances. The tension between Jessie Mae and Carrie is particularly intriguing. Hints of rivalry and simmering tension boil between them, but both are buried beneath Southern “sweetness” and the social mores of the time—1953 to be exact. Jessie Mae is both annoyed by every move Carrie makes and dependent on her for the pension check she adds to the family’s income. Similarly, Carrie seems to feel unwanted, unloved, and unallowed to be herself in Jessie Mae’s presence, so, she turns instead, to dreams of a different life, one she lived long ago.

Together, the two female leads are masters at creating characters that both tiptoe around and antagonize one another. Costello plays her Jessie Mae with a careful blend of humor and sadness. Her character is ridiculous, but with Costello’s carefully-chosen posture and facial expressions, she’s also devastatingly desolate and filled with malaise. Similarly, the brilliant Zimmer creates a Carrie who is outwardly sweet and accepting but who, on the inside, burns with the same unmet longing as the rest of her family. Caught in the middle is Luddie, who acts as peacemaker between these two women while also grappling with doubts and unfulfilled dreams of his own. Ray plays the role with a mix of resignation and forced cheerfulness, rounding out a superb cast that has managed to bring out every layer and level of complexity these characters possess. In short, they play them exactly as Horton wrote them: multifaceted, dissatisfied, and most of all, undeniably human.

In the second act, the story shifts into a pilgrimage tale as the determined Carrie attempts to make her way back to Bountiful. On the way, she meets Thelma, a fellow, much younger passenger. Their conversations, which center upon life, love, and loss, reveal even more about Carrie and, like the earlier scenes, are perfectly executed. Casey Wortham’s portrayal of Thelma is full of openness and sensitivity, and Zimmer’s change in speech and mannerisms shows a completely different side of Carrie. For the first time, the audience gets to see who she is when she feels seen and heard, when she is viewed not just as the “old woman” with the pension check, but as a person. Perhaps that—the Carrie we get to see in these moments and the Carrie she gets to become—is the real trip to Bountiful.

Of course, there is a real, literal trip as well, and yet again, Fowler’s set design makes it possible and believable. The opening night audience literally burst into applause as Fowler’s “Bountiful” set was revealed. To say too much would be to spoil it, but there is wind, sky, and a cathartic sense of openness and relief that perfectly parallels the script’s themes.

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect realization of this show. Theatre Raleigh and Woodall have taken a script that is beautiful because of its simplicity and its frank exploration of life’s most timeless themes and created a production that, in and of itself, mirrors every detail. Having a legendary actress like Zimmer on board is also an impressive feat for a grassroots theatre company in North Carolina. Accomplishments like this one serve as continuing proof that Theatre Raleigh is achieving the lofty goal of bringing a true NYC theatre experience to the Triangle area. Now, we just have to watch and see what they surprise us with next.

The Trip to Bountiful runs through April 6, and tickets are available here.




-Susie Potter

A playbill from the production, graciously signed by Kim Zimmer.