BWW Reviews: It's a Bumpy Ride on THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL at 2nd Story Theatre

We've all heard "You can't go home again." Or how about "Home is where the heart is"? At this time of year, it's "Home for the Holidays." The idea of home, what and where it is, is a powerful theme throughout all types of artistic expression, from paintings to books to stage plays. It's a universal theme that anyone can understand and relate to. And it's at the center of 2nd Story Theatre's holiday season production of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful.

At the play's center is a universally recognizable and relatable character, Carrie Watts. Carrie is an older woman, living in an apartment in Houston with her son, Ludie, and his wife, Jessie Mae. Much of Carrie's time is spent dreaming of Bountiful, her hometown and place where she longs to return. Having been away from it for so long, and possibly nearing the end of her life, she wants nothing more than to see her home one last time, if only she can escape her domineering and controlling daughter-in-law. When she finally does manage to get away, Carrie makesnher way home, meeting a collection of colorful characters along the way.

While 2nd Story's production, under the direction of Ed Shea, gets off to a promising start, it doesn't take long to go off the proverbial rails. Its first moments do a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere, a sort of languid, southern Gothic feel with an underlying electric tension between the characters. The unhurried pace suits the play's beginning perfectly as we get to know the trio living in the apartment and have the chance to feel out their relationships, motivations and objectives.

On the other hand, that attention to pace, tone and atmosphere doesn't last very long. The production devolves into a typical family drama where everyone just talks fast and loudly, never really listening to each other or themselves. The pace quickens, which doesn't suit the action of the play or the motivations and objectives of the characters, it just makes them go faster and talk louder. Eventually, the play becomes little more than actors reciting lines, with much of the depth or nuance in the performances long forgotten.

Leading the way as Carrie Watts is Paula Faber, who is really tasked with carrying the play on her shoulders from beginning to end (and seems much too young for the part). She is onstage almost the entire time and spends much of that time talking. For the most part, Faber does a very good job. She has some excellent moments when she really connects with the words in the script, making them come alive with real, believable emotion. There are some times when we can almost see the place that she longs for, can really feel how much she loves and misses it. Still, for all of those moments, there are an equal number of times when the depth and emotion falls away and it just sounds, again, like an actor reciting lines. A character talking so much, and mostly about the same thing over and over, really loses something if the actor isn't able to fully support every word and moment with real intention and emotion.

Nathanael Lee gives a nice performance as Ludie Watts, a role that could easily become unsympathetic or even fall into parody. Ludie is a man who doesn't appear to have much backbone, who may be controlled or manipulated by the women in his life. He could come across as pathetic or a loser. In this case, though, Lee doesn't just let Ludie be a pathetic loser or anything of the sort. Instead, Lee gives the character depth and nuance, something else under the skin. The audience sees much more of the conflict and turmoil in Ludie through Lee's performance than they might with a less talented actor.

As Jessie Mae Watts, Lara Hakeem doesn't really use her undeniable talent to its fullest. Jessie Mae ends up being the opposite of Ludie. That is, we never get any of the nuance or depth in Jessie Mae, as Hakeem's performance stays very much on the surface. It also stays very close to caricature, as she pretty much just plays the typical, shrill daughter-in-law, talking loudly and as gratingly as possible. It doesn't really give the audience much chance to get to know, relate to, sympathize with, or understand the character.

There are a number of ensemble members who appear as the characters encountered by Carrie on her journey home. Erin Olson is lovely as Thelma, a woman who befriends Carrie as they travel together for a time. Olson and Faber share a wonderful onstage chemistry and some of the production's nicest moments. F. William Oakes appears as Roy, a helpful agent at a bus station and Joe Henderson also shows up as a local sheriff. Both do a fine job, especially Henderson, who gives the sheriff a kindly, compassionate demeanor. Except for Thelma, these ancillary characters never have the chance to develop and the actors playing the roles aren't really asked to do very much with them.

At roughly 80 minutes, it's a pretty quick trip to Bountiful for 2nd Story's audience. Unfortunately, it's also one that too-quickly glosses over those important themes about home and whether or not we can go back there. Yes, there's a lot of talking about home...lots and lots of talking about it...but neither the characters nor the audience are given the proper time to really think and reflect about what's being said. It's almost like they were in a hurry for the show to end so they could just go home.

The Trip to Bountiful runs through December 21st at 2nd Story Theatre, 28 Market Street, Warren, RI, in the theatre's UpStage space. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. For tickets, visit the box office, call 401-247-4200, or buy online at www.2ndstorytheatre.com.

Pictured (L to R): Erin Olson and Paula Faber. Photo by Richard W Dionne, Jr.

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