A ‘Trip’ to remember

GOODING, TYSON AND WILLIAMS. Topbill latest revival of acclaimed play.

The most adorable character on the New York stage this season isn’t a freckle-faced orphan, but a widowed septuagenarian, Carrie Watts, the lead character of Horton Foote’s “The Trip to Bountiful,” now showing at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

In front of us, some African-American theatergoers were fighting with their exasperated Asian seatmate, but their distracting verbal tussle couldn’t draw our attention away from Cicely Tyson, the 79-year-old actress who plays Carrie—and with good reason.

The screen and stage veteran just won the Best Actress prize from the Outer Critics Circle—and we wouldn’t be surprised if she also bags a Tony Award on June 9 for her exceptional performance.

The play tells the story of lonely Carrie, who dreams of returning to Bountiful, her small hometown in Texas, away from her domineering daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae, played to caustic perfection by the lovely Vanessa Williams.

Conflict

Caught between the conflict of two headstrong women is Carrie’s soft-spoken son, Ludie (Cuba Gooding Jr., in his Broadway debut), who conveniently chooses to ignore the mounting tension in his household.

Jessie Mae says she wants what’s best for her stubborn mother-in-law, but she wants everything done her way! Moreover, while Carrie’s presence in the home of the cash-strapped couple isn’t appreciated, her monthly pension is! So, when she finally gets her chance to escape, she grabs it—and never looks back!

The role is a snug fit—and a dream come true—for Tyson: In 1985, after attending a screening of the film version of the play that gave Geraldine Page a Best Actress Oscar, she told her manager, “Get me my ‘Trip To Bountiful’—and I’ll be happy to retire!”

The veteran actress didn’t mean the actual play, of course. She merely wanted a challenging role she could cut her thespic teeth into. She got her wish 28 years later. She recalls, “When they told me that Hallie, the playwright’s daughter, wanted to do a black version of the play, and that she wanted to meet me, I just dropped the phone!”

On her toes

Tyson’s generous costars keep her on her toes—and allow her to run away with the show, making her return to the Great White Way as memorable and exciting as she had hoped.

The actress was last seen in Emlyn Williams’ “The Corn Is Green”—30 years ago! She explains, “It’s always a great challenge to go from screen to stage. I needed a material that would sufficiently entice me to make the transition again—and it took this long to find something that truly interested me!”

What we love about Tyson’s portrayal is her refusal to turn her character into a victim—at her age, Carrie may no longer be in full control of her life, but she doesn’t allow her son’s indecision to hold her back.

Carrie reasons, “I’ve turned into a hateful, quarrelsome old woman. Before I leave this earth, I’d like to recover some of my dignity—and the peace I used to know!” So, when she finally gets her wish, you sing her lines along with her: “I’m home—I’m home!”