The show, which kicked off Signature's 15th Anniversary Signature Series season, opened on December 4th and was originally announced to close on January 8th.The showfeatures Lois Smith (a Tony-nominee for Buried Child and The Grapes of Wrath) as Carrie Watts and Hallie Foote (The Last of the Thorntons) as Jessie Mae Watts. The play is directed by Harris Yulin."Carrie Watts longs to return to her childhood home
of Bountiful, Texas, where she hasn't been in thirty years. Despite her
failing health, she grows more determined to escape from the tiny
Houston apartment she shares with her soft-spoken son and watchful
daughter-in-law. Finally she gets her chance to head homeward, and it
is the journey of a lifetime."In addition to Smith and Foote, the cast for The Trip to Bountiful also includes Devon Abner (The Young Man from Atlanta/Signature), Meghan Andrews (The Grapes of Wrath/Broadway), Gene Jones (Big River/Broadway), Sam Kitchin (Frozen/Broadway), Frank Girardeau (Night Seasons/Signature).
The designers will be E. David Cosier (sets); Martin Pakledinaz
(costumes); John McKernon (lights); and Fitz Patton (sound).
The
theatre was founded in 1991 by artistic director James Houghton and is
the first theatre in the United States dedicated to season-long
explorations of a single-living-playwright's body of work. The
company's first nine seasons presented the works of Romulus Linney, Lee
Blessing, Edward Albee, Horton Foote, Adrienne Kennedy, Sam Shepard, Arthur Miller,
John Guare and Maria Irene Fornes. The 10th Anniversary of Signature
Theatre Company -- its 2000-2002 All-Premiere Celebration -- featured
new works from a selection of the theatre's distinguished past
Playwrights-in-Residence. The 2002-03 Season was dedicated to Lanford
Wilson, the 2003-04 Season to Bill Irwin, and the 2004-2005 Season to Paula Vogel.
As a direct result of the company's work, Signature, its productions
and its resident writers have been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize,
Lucille Lortel Awards, OBIE Awards and Drama Desk Awards, among many
other distinctions. The National Theatre Conference recognized the
company as the 2003 Outstanding National Theatre of the Year.
Signature's current $15 ticket deal will continue through Jan. 8, 2006, after which prices will go back up to $55 on January 10th.
The Trip to Bountiful's
performance schedule is Tuesdays-Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 3 PM and
8 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM. For subscription and ticket information,
please call (212) 244-PLAY (7529). For more information, visit www.signaturetheatre.org.