Steadstyle Chicago
	March 2008 Theatre Review by Randy Hardwick
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com The Trip to Bountiful Critical Evaluation: *** out of **** (Left) Lois Smith, Devon Abner and Hallie Foote; (Right) Lois Smith and Meghan Andrews  in The Goodman Theatre's production of "The Trip to Bountiful".  Photos by Michael Brosilow. Horton Foote's "The Trip to Bountiful" is one of the most elegant dramas ever written for the American stage - the fact that it premiered as a teleplay in 1953 notwithstanding.  It is the story of Carrie Watts (Lois Smith), an elderly woman who lives in Houston, Texas with her son Ludie (Devon Abner) and daughter-in-law Jessie Mae (Hallie Foote).  Carrie wants to see her tiny hometown, Bountiful, and re-live a romanticized past just once before she dies.  The past, of course, is gone and so is the town, but along the way to discovering that one cannot go back, Foote touches universal human needs: love, belonging, family, community, connection to a natural world.  Everyone loses things along life's path and life cannot remain the innocent Garden of Eden that we remember.  "The Trip to Bountiful" is a bittersweet ode to such treasured memories and Foote's gentle and meticulous observation of the human condition lends the play a universality that is high art. The legendary Lois Smith is superb as Mrs. Watts.  It is a role any actress would cherish, the kind of old woman that evokes the memory of moms and grandmas everywhere through wit and charm.  Smith is so natural and smooth that I suspect the entire audience will nightly share the need to give her a hug.  As she caresses her little handkerchief with the coins tied in it, you can feel her wrinkled touch.  Her movement is like bread baking in the oven.  Watts is the character that hooks the audience - a universal mom that calls them home - and Smith's portrayal feels like she is reaching out to comfort each and every one of them.  If you don't feel an emotional connection to this marvelous actress in this part, ask someone to call the undertaker for you. Smith heads an Equity cast who are individually super in their roles.  The one bit of a let-down for me in this production is that the ensemble of all of these experienced actors is somehow less than its individual parts.  It is true that everyone is terrific in their roles, but all of the leads and even some of the non-speaking characters have done this show multiple times.  There is a lack of spontaneity, a routinism in the interaction that isn't always genuine.  Director Harris Yulin seems to have used The Goodman's considerable resources to bring in a group of folks who already know what to do and subsequently neglected to meld them into a cohesive ensemble.  I certainly was not looking to see any new interpretation of the work - it is perfect as it was written and I, too, just want to relive the past - but I had hoped for a bit more emotion than was present on opening night.  This is not to say that the production was flat - far from it.  There were lots of authentic moments - especially between Smith and Meghan Andrews, who plays Thelma, a young woman whom Mrs. Watts meets on the bus - but the emotion was not even. "The Trip to Bountiful" is the culminating event of The Goodman's Horton Foote Festival.  In terms of theatrical experience it is a highly appealing realistic production.  E. David Cosier's set is both beautiful and functional.  Large set pieces including the decaying house at Bountiful and the bus that takes Watts there glide in and out silently and seamlessly.  There is also the Houston apartment along with two bus stations to contend with and Cosier not only moves the stuff around, but does so with an almost dance-like grace that adds to the illusion of passing time.  Brett Jarvis' outstandingly crafted traffic noises and birdcalls similarly contribute to the realism of the experience.  Though I found "The Trip to Bountiful" a bit disappointing in one small way, my disappointment has more to do with the extremely high expectations I have of the Goodman than with any serious flaw in the show.  This is a good production of a masterpiece play and my one gripe shouldn't be taken as a lack of endorsement for the show.  Quite to the contrary, you should head on over to The Goodman to see Lois Smith.  Your mother's there and she's calling you.  "The Trip to Bountiful" has been extended through April 13, 2008 in the Goodman's Albert Theatre.  For ticket information, visit GoodmanTheatre.org or call 312.443.3800.   About Randy Hardwick Randy Hardwick is an educator and sometime theatre critic.  He is a former member of the Drama Critics' Circle in Denver, Colorado where he published several entertainment related magazines and hosted The Heavyweights of Gambling, a weekly radio call-in show about casino gaming.  During the 1980's Randy was president of Tracks International, a nightclub chain renowned for its high-energy clubs in Denver and on the East Coast.  Hardwick first came to Chicago in 1999 and recently returned to his beloved Rogers Park neighborhood following three years of teaching at a university in Mexico.   What a Drag it is Getting Old Review by Ruth Smerling The Horton Foote hooplah continues with what is often considered Foote’s best work, "The Trip to Bountiful".  After a successful run at New York City’s acclaimed Signature Theatre, Goodman Theatre Artistic Robert Falls decided to bring the performance to the Albert.  He was able to persuade the director, Harris Yulin, no stranger to the Goodman and one of Falls’ favorite collaborators, to remount the work.  He also sparked the enthusiasm of some of the original cast members, including Horton Foote’s daughter Hallie who plays Jessie Mae.  Fortunately, Lois Smith signed on to recreate the role of Carrie Watts here in Chicago.  She leaves no stone unturned as the God fearing burden on a young married couple with her spitefulness, forgetfulness and need to breathe some clean fresh air.  "The Trip to Bountiful," like most of Foote’s work takes place in Texas in the 1940’s.   Scientific breakthrough abounds along with economic hardship.  Many people are cracking under the pressure of a tight-fisted economy and still having to cope with the daily domestic anxiety at home.   Jessie Mae (Hallie Foote) and Ludie (Devon Abner) are a young couple just getting back on their feet.  Ludie has been ill and out of work, setting them back financially.  Healthy now and again and working,  things look a little brighter.  But he still has to take care of his aging mother, Carrie (Lois Smith).  She’s a good soul, but she and Ludie and her late husband once had a huge home in a town called, you guessed it, Bountiful.  There was open space, a garden, neighbors, and a house full of rooms and space.  Now the three of them are squashed into a noisy, two-room apartment with a window that fails to open to a better life.  When the property was sold to developers, the family was forced to move to the big city.  While Ludie is at work all day, the two women do little but get on each others nerves.  Once Ludie returns, they try to get him to take sides.  He’s a good man, he can’t choose.  He loves his mother and remembers the good life they shared.  But he cannot imagine life without his beautiful, exciting wife, Jessie Mae.  E. David Cosier’s set design stresses the claustrophobia suffocating the family.  Constant fights ensue and Carrie always has her ear to the wall.  Everyone is always making noise, either being up late, playing the radio or fighting.  It’s like a tenement in Texas.  Much of the depth of the set is created by Brett Jarvis’ set design.  These are people who long to be someplace else, and the world outside the world is always beckoning, with car horns and bird songs taunting them mercilessly.  At the end of her rope, Jessie Mae asks for Carrie’s pension check.  The check is the only thing that assures they’ll make ends meet month to month.  This month, Carrie is as fed up as Jessie Mae.  She decides to hoard the check and pack up and move to Bountiful.  As she firms up her plan, she has a “sinking spell,” and feels her time may be near.  She want to spend her last days with friends at home in Bountiful.  At the train station she finds that Bountiful is no longer on the map.  It’s nothing but a memory.  With the help of Thelma (Meghan Andrews) she gets close to Bountiful only to find that the friend she was seeking has passed away just a day before.  Meanwhile, her son and Jessie Mae are frantic and soon the jig is up.  Director Harris Yulin, who most of us know best as an actress leaves no holds barred.  Lois Smith cuts right to quick as Carrie Watts, a woman who can do nothing but get in the way.  Even when she tries to flee, instead of disappearing and getting out of everyones’ hair, she jeopardizes her son’s job and his relationship with his wife.  "The Trip to Bountiful" is a heartbreaking portrait of a woman who has run out of options before she runs out of breath in a world that she no longer recognizes.