An hour with Horton Foote at Utzman-Chambers House

Published 8:17 am Thursday, February 13, 2020

Lee Street Theatre’s first season, back in 2008, included “An Evening with Horton Foote.” Directed by Jim Epperson, it starred the late Lou Murphy, with Mary Ann McCubbin and Gary Thornburg among the cast.

Foote’s multi-award winning “The Trip To Bountiful” comes to the Lee Street stage next week, a production of St. Thomas Players. To celebrate the show and its iconic playwright, there will be a free sampling of Foote’s work from 4-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Utzman-Chambers House, 116 S. Jackson St., opposite the Wrenn House and planned Bell Tower Green park.

McCubbin, Jonathan Coarsey, Jacob Brayton, Chelsea Chambers and Hunter Safrit will perform a readers’ theatre version of “The Man Who Climbed Pecan Trees,” one of the original 2008 productions. Bethany Sinnott will present an overview of Foote’s remarkable career. Claudia Galup hosts and Betty Mickle provides refreshments. The hour-long event is free.

Winner of two screenwriting Oscars for “Tender Mercies” and “To Kill A Mockingbird” and a Pulitzer for Drama with “The Young Man From Atlanta,”, Foote’s themes of “sense of belonging” and “longing for home” have resonated with audiences for over 70 years.

“The Trip To Bountiful “stars fan favorite Linda Jones as Carrie Watts, Chris Eller as Ludie Watts, Jenny Hubbard as Jessie Mae, Jess Johnson as Thelma, Bob Paolino as Roy, Kurt Corriher as the Sheriff, and Steve Cobb as The Ticket Taker. Production runs at Lee Street Theater, 329 N. Lee St., Feb. 27-29 and March 5-7 at 7:30 p.m.