Ford's Theatre: The Trip To Bountiful

Ford's Theatre's autumn production is Horton Foote's classic tale "The Trip To Bountiful." It's been done many times to great acclaim, and I have never seen it before. So I have nothing to compare this performance to. I loved it! The staging was about the best I've ever seen at Ford's with a set that transformed itself effortlessly from an over stuffed and overcrowded two-room apartment to bus depots then a bus seat on to the grassy flood plain of a lost town called Bountiful.

Likewise the sound, lighting, and costumes were wonderful. I have a special shout out to a member of the design core that rarely gets acknowledged unless their work fails. Kudos to Lynn Watson, the voice and dialect coach. The actors playing Carrie Watts and Jessie Mae Watts were spot on.

Early on in exploring this season in the DMV theatre, I had been excited to see this production for the first time, and then less so when I learned that a certain actor had the role of Ludie. The actor is a fine journeyman. He can memorize lines with exquisite precision, and he never misses a cue. The problem is he also never stops being himself completely. He's something of a staple around these parts and honestly many a fine production dips to minus when he has a leading part. And then I learned that he had been replaced. Check smile. I think it was for the best.

As is, the actors were a joy to watch. I've seen Kimberly Gilbert in many roles across the DMV, and I declare her performance as Jessie Mae Watts was her finest one yet. For example, from the previous paragraph; when I know an actor and then wonder if I do know them because I see little evidence of past performances in their present portrayal, I am in awe. Emily Kester in the role of the kindly young stranger Thelma was pitch perfect. Her reserved empathy that slowly becomes affection for Carrie Watts was a journey made believable thanks to her embrace of the character. Of course, that leads us to the lead: Nancy Robinette as Carrie Watts. A bird trapped in a cage not of her making, longing to return to the home of her youth and all the memories that have sustained her in her long absence would be a good metaphor for Robinette's performance. Frustrated and furtive through much of the journey, once home all those cares lift like a bird. A lovely performance in every respect.

I kept expecting the ending to take a dark turn, but it didn't. When I figured out that it was written in 1953, its unapologetic sentimentality made more sense. A wonderful way to have spent a chilly damp afternoon.

Jessie Mae Watts (Kimberly Gilbert), Carrie Watts (Nancy Robinette) and Ludie Watts (Joe Mallon)

Mother Watts with Jessie Mae in their cramped two-room apartment in Houston

Carrie Watts on the verge of her great escape

Carrie Watts with her ad hoc travelling companion, Thelma (Emily Kester)

Jessie Mae, Ludie and Carrie Watts, finally at Bountiful