The Trip to Bountiful

The marriage of Horton Foote's subtle and complex playwriting and director Martin Benson's dramatic restraint makes this "Trip" a rewarding theatrical event. Eschewing melodrama in favor of insightful character development, Benson captures a slice of life that is heartwarming and heartbreaking in the exposition.

Mrs. Carrie Watts (Lynn Milgrim) lives with her son, Ludie (Daniel Reichert), and his wife, Jessie Mae (Jennifer Lyon), in a cramped two-room apartment in Houston, Texas, in 1953. Aging, with heart trouble, Carrie longs to return to the tiny town of Bountiful to see her old home and take comfort in the memories of her past. With pension check in hand, she eludes her son and bossy daughter-in-law and buys a bus ticket. She is joined on her journey by a young woman, Thelma (Lily Holleman), who is returning to stay with her parents while her husband is overseas.

The entire ensemble—including Hal Landon Jr., Richard Doyle, Mark Coyan, and Tom Shelton—inhabits each role with utter believability in Foote's kindler, gentler time. Milgrim is, of course, center stage, but her story can be seen more easily as she interacts with the others in her life.

Milgrim's Carrie is multitextured and human, a portrayal that is intelligent and emotionally rich. Reichert also renders a character whose emotions are deep, constrained by living with his mother and wife, and whose disappointments in life are painful and suppressed. Lyon is excellent as the shallow Jessie Mae, and Holleman brings realism to her role as Carrie's companion on the journey. Angela Balogh Calin adds authentic costuming.

No matter how difficult the characters in his plays may be, Foote imbues them with characteristics that allow the audience to see positives and negatives. The characters endure because we can identify them as people we know and understand. Though Foote died in 2009 at 92, he left a legacy of plays that speak to the best in the American character.

Presented by and at South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Oct. 28-Nov. 20. Tue.-Wed., 7:30 p.m.; Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. (714) 708-5555. www.scr.org.