Village Players Theatre Play Ground Presents: A Trip to Bountiful, by Horton Foote October 5- October 21, 2007 Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m NO SHOW ON OCT 20th Sundays 2:30 p.m. Tickets $15 Betty Scott Smith in "The Trip to Bountiful" review by Kathryn J. Atwood Octogenarians aren't usually known for pushing towards new horizons.  Betty Scott Smith, the current star of the Village Player's production of The Trip to Bountiful, is a notable exception.   Director Carl Occhipinti -  who regularly teases Smith about being a poster child for the expression "It's Never Too Late to Live Your Dreams" -  may not normally let his actors to choose their own plays, but he has allowed Betty Scott Smith to do so at least twice.  Why?  "I admire Betty," says Occhipinti, "and all of us at the Village Players have been touched in some way by her life and spirit. She wanted to play the role of Sister Clarissa in Over the Tavern so we put it into our season last year.  This season she mentioned Trip to Bountiful.  Well, once again we let the dream unfold." Horton Foote's tale of Mrs. Carrie Watts - an elderly woman choking on Houston's urban fumes and the selfish demands of her daughter-in-law, all the while longing for her home, the deserted, rural town of Bountiful -  has been wrenching laughter, tears and yearnings from audiences ever since it debuted in 1953, both on television and Broadway. The simple sets of the Village Player's production allows the ensemble  to  shine   -   and  what  an  ensemble  it  is.  Jack Crowe - who absolutely nails the indecisive personality of Ludie Watts, Carrie's son,  in a most decisive way - has played opposite Betty before, most often in comedies.   "In comedies, she is bright, lively and funny" says Crowe.  "This role required something more.  Horton Foote's play requires an actor to be completely natural, which is not an easy thing.  But Betty inhabits the role completely." There is a saying around the Village Players and it goes something like this: "Never be on the stage with an animal, a child or Betty Scott Smith."   Her performance proves the validity of this statement, but what is equally clear in this particular production is the palpable dynamism and symmetry that exists between the ensemble members. Georg  Coleman -  who  plays  Jesse  Mae,   Carrie's daughter-in-law, with a marvelous blend of sensuality, egotism and desperation - jokes that she has often done her best to upstage Smith "to no avail."  But as riveting as Smith's performance is, Coleman commands an equally strong stage presence in every scene they share (and really, the same could be said for Julie Hurt as Thelma and Joe Kennedy as the Sheriff, both sounding board characters for Carrie). Perhaps this is because director Occhipinti spent individual time with each actor, helping them go deep within themselves to draw out what was necessary for their particular role.  But it could also be, as Coleman points out, that Smith has "always inspired me to stretch myself and to commit choices I might not have ever thought to make, through her own character development and actions.  She is simply the best." Smith's acting chops - which, unbelievably, have only been in active development for the past 10 years - are more than obvious and yet she never goes over the top; she is an extremely nuanced performer.  She had the audience eating out of her hand, bringing them to tears with one small gesture or drowning them in laughter with a single phrase. The production was of such a high caliber, in fact,  that the audience was absolutely riveted to the unfolding drama, never becoming distracted by thinking they were watching actors perform a play.  Even Smith's own son, who was part of the opening night audience, became lost in her portrayal and forgot, for a time, that he was watching his own mother.  Smith has an uncanny ability to absolutely embody a character. Winnie Sigel, Volunteer Marketing Coordinator for the Village Players and a cast member of Bountiful, agrees.  "From this time forward, Betty will always have Bountiful as her own." says Sigel.  "Who knows what is next on her horizon?  I just know I would like to be somewhere close by in order to watch." It would be time well spent.  At one point in the play, when Carrie looks up and cries: "Look at that blue sky! Did you ever see such a blue sky?"  Smith delivers the line with such a realistic intensity that you find yourself believing that if you stare at the black ceiling of the VP's Play Ground Theater long enough, you might just catch a glimpse of blue. The Trip to Bountiful runs through Sunday, October 21st.  Catch a glimpse while you can! For show times, call the Village Players at 708/524-1892 or visit them on the web at www.VillagePlayers.org. Jack Crowe and Betty Scott Smith in "A Trip to Bountiful", by Horton Foote photo by David Turner Actress Betty Scott Smith in "A Trip to Bountiful", by Horton Foote photo by David Turner Village Players Theatre Play Ground Presents: A Trip to Bountiful, by Horton Foote October 5- October 21, 2007 NO SHOW ON OCT 20th Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m Sundays 2:30 p.m. Tickets $15 Oak Park Illinois- A Trip to Bountiful is the story of Mrs. Watts, an aging widow longing to make a pilgrimage back to her beloved town, Bountiful. Against her son and daughter -in- law’s wishes, she cleverly plans her trip. Despite the town’s run-down almost vacant appearance, Mrs. Watts is able to make peace with her past and herself. Directed by Village Players Theatre Artistic Director Carl Occhipinti, and featuring Ensemble member Betty Scott Smith as Carrie Watts, the idea of following your heart is what originally drew him to the script. “The search for bountiful is one we all make,” says Occhipinti. “What we find is that bountiful is inside us.”  And Betty Scott Smith, herself is an example of how its never to late to pursue something important. 11 years ago at the age of 74 she began acting and hasn’t stopped. “It was something I always dreamed of doing but raising a family was my priority, so when my kids were grown, I realized it was now or never.” The show also features Jack Crowe, Julie Hurt, Molly Riley, Jean Petruzzelli, Winnie Sigel, Jon Van Lulling, and Joe Kennedy Presented in the Play Ground studio space inside the newly renovated home of VPT, enjoy an intimate evening of theatre up-close and personal. Performances are October 5- October 21, 2007. Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m, and Sundays 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 866-764-1010 or visit www.village-players.org. Plenty of street parking is available. The theatre is handicap accessible; please call ahead to arrange for special seating.

Special Group discounts are available. 

Call 1-708-222-0369 for ticket reservations 
and 708-524-1892 for group and/or more information.

Village Players Theatre is a non-equity professional 
theater located in Oak Park, IL at 1010 W. Madison St – 
North of 290 and East of Harlem Ave.

This is the Village Players 41st Season of quality 
entertainment.

www.village-players.org