Well I've managed to go and see another final performance of
a wonderful play.
Seems like all I
can do lately is tell about what you've missed!
Went to see Thornton Wilder's American classic "Our
Town" at Olney Theatre today.
It tells the story of the inhabitants of a mundane little town in New
England, but in doing so it has set Grover's Corner, New Hampshire into the
permanent atlas of American literary places.
Set in three acts that transpire in single days across
fourteen years and centered on the lives of two families, the Gibbs and the
Websters, it masterfully transforms their mundane lives into profound studies
of the human condition both living and dead.
And that's why it holds its own so well all these years
later.
Now for the twist, outside of the seven principle cast
members, beautifully crafted puppets perform the remainder of the
characters.
A fact that didn't
stop me from thinking how refreshing it was to see an adult production of this
classic play as I have only ever seen it performed in high schools and
universities.
The staging filled
the center of the theater space with the audience distributed on either
side.
At each end was the facade
of a home (the Gibbs' and the Webb's) and the over all effect was at times
bedlike and coffin like.
The acting was wonderful without a weak link in the
chain. I have been to final
performances that whimpered out, but not this one. The air was charged with a love for the work and a joy to be
performing it. Jon Hudson Odom set
the standard as the Narrator and his fellow cast members seemed only too happy
to rise to the challenge. Most
notable among the others were Megan Anderson as Mrs. Gibbs and Cindy de la Cruz
as Emily Webb. While I suppose
that the mark of a good director is to be unnoticed, I can't help but credit
Aaron Posner with providing his actors the freedom to explore the silences
between the lines and use those moments to enhance the dialogue and extend the
power of its meaning. It was such
an unobtrusive, but power part of this production--it gave the play a radical
freshness to me.
 |
| Jon Hudson Odom as the Narrator |
 |
| Megan Anderson as Mrs Gibbs and Andrea Harris Smith as Mrs. Webb |
 |
| Todd Scofield as Mr. Webb confronting the puppet of Simon Stimson under the control of Jon Hudson Odom. |
 |
| Cindy de la Cruz as Emily Webb, Jon Hudson Odom as the owner of the Soda Shop, and William Vaughan as George Gibbs. |
If I have one regret, it is that I cannot recommend it to
you, I would if I could.
Well I've managed to go and see another final performance of
a wonderful play. Seems like all I
can do lately is tell about what you've missed! Went to see Thornton Wilder's American classic "Our
Town" at Olney Theatre today.
It tells the story of the inhabitants of a mundane little town in New
England, but in doing so it has set Grover's Corner, New Hampshire into the
permanent atlas of American literary places. Set in three acts that transpire in single days across
fourteen years and centered on the lives of two families, the Gibbs and the
Websters, it masterfully transforms their mundane lives into profound studies
of the human condition both living and dead. And that's why it holds its own so well all these years
later.
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