Cicely Tyson Returning to Broadway After 30 Years in ‘The Trip to Bountiful’

Cicely Tyson will tackle the role that brought Geraldine Page an Oscar in the film version of "The Trip to Bountiful"

Cicely Tyson will return to Broadway for the first time in 30 years, in a revival of Horton Foote's "The Trip to Bountiful," the producers announced Monday.

Getty ImagesThe play, scheduled for a 14-week limited run beginning March 31, 2013, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, will be directed by Michael Wilson, who also directed Foote's "Dividing the Estate" at Lincoln Center, as well as several other Foote plays Off-Broadway.

Opening night is set for April 23.

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Tyson will play Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who dreams of returning to her hometown Bountiful, Tex., one last time against the wishes of her overprotective son and domineering daughter-in-law. The 1985 movie version starred Geraldine Page, who picked up an Academy Award for Best Actress. Foote's script was also nominated for adapted screenplay.

“For years I have been searching for the perfect project to bring me back to my true home — the stage,” Tyson said in a statement.  “In many ways Broadway is my bountiful, and I’m eager and honored to return with this strong, passionate, and funny character in a timeless American classic.”

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Tyson last appeared on Broadway in 1983 in a revival of "The Corn Is Green," which ran for 32 performances and 21 previews. Her first Broadway credit was as an understudy in 1959 in Lonnie Coleman's "Jolly's Progress," and she subsequently appeared in six other plays.

She won two Emmy Awards in 1974, for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" and a special Oscar for Actress of the Year. She also won a supporting actress Emmy for "Oldest Living Conferederate Widow Tells All" in 1994.

Tyson received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 1972 film "Sounder." Most recently, she appeared in last year's hit film "The Help" and this year's Tyler Perry crime drama "Alex Cross."  


Nelle Nugent is producing.

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