The Trip to Bountiful Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...Ultimately, what makes this harrowing "Trip" endurable, even uplifting, is Carrie's hard-won humor and wisdom, and the peace she is able to make with her own unhappiness before she is caught and marched back to Houston. "There are worse things," she dryly retorts when the sheriff reflects on her childhood friend's "lonely death alone in a big house." This small, tart moment will stay with me-as will my gratitude for this unforgettable production."
Edge- Recommended
"...From the set pieces to the painterly backdrops, the beauty of the play's message is only accentuated by the beauty of what has been created on stage. Add in a fantastic group of actors and this is certainly a trip worth seeing."
LA Splash- Recommended
"...At the very end, after satisfying her dream, Mrs. Watts says: "I'm a happy woman" and indeed, as they sprung to their feet at the final scene, this was one happy audience."
StageHappenings.com- Recommended
"...Wilson's direction mines the humor in a story which could easily tip over into bathos. Without distorting Foote's text, he colors even the most melancholy situations with a dash of optimism. The result is that this Trip, with all its frustrations and dispiriting discoveries, is ultimately a tribute to Carrie's indomitable spirit."
Examiner- Recommended
"...This Ahmanson production of "The Trip to Bountiful" is a fanciful, romantic view of Texas in the 1940s. If you can believe in it, then follow this feisty woman's determined journey home and make time to visit those old friends and family for your own trip home."
Hollywood Progressive- Recommended
"...It is the latter cast that's trodding the boards at the Ahmanson in Bountiful's current incarnation, which is directed by Michael Wilson, who previously helmed the Lifetime version. And by the time they and Foote were done skillfully, subtly working their magic this critic was ensnared in what could be called Foote's drama of everyday life featuring ordinary people facing the vicissitudes of existence."
Culture Vulture- Somewhat Recommended
"...The touring production at the Ahmanson is meticulously directed by Michael Wilson, if not especially inspired. It is not a stretch to imagine the Watts family as African-American. But sadly, as has happened before, "Bountiful" is a small story swallowed by the ungainly Ahmanson venue. Judging by the responsiveness of the audience in the lower section of the orchestra, there was much to recommend this production if you could snag a seat in the first 15 or so rows. What does shine through is Cicely Tyson's old-fashioned mastery of the stage."
Cultural Weekly- Recommended
"...Call the play old-fashioned - it is - and that is elemental to its big rewards. Foote is a poet of the human species and there is something deeply satisfying about watching the grit and tunnel vision of his Carrie Watts, the "rightness" in her yearning to revisit home that is such a fundamental if unattainable craving. We know the impossibility of reliving the past will stop her, as will the transformations in the vanished world she pines for. But Tyson as this wily, bent over old lady, who dismisses rejection and ignores defeat and makes it all the way to the goal post with not much more than pluck, is a triumphant display of the human spirit at its best."