'OUR TOWN' FOR TODAY: Director David Cromer (who plays the Stage Manager as well) brought his acclaimed production of "Our Town" from Chicago, proving that the 'second city' still has what it takes. "Our Town" still rings true for today's audiences. (Carol Rosegg)
Two families predominate: Mr. Webb, the town’s newspaper editor (Ken Marks), Mrs. Webb (Kati Brazda), daughter Emily (Jennifer Grace), and son Wally (Jake Horowitz). Across the street resides the Gibbs family: Mrs. Gibbs (Lori Myers), Dr. Gibbs (Mark L. Montgomery), son George (James McMenamin), daughter Rebecca (Ronete Levenson)—plus an assortment of townspeople, with the Stage Manager (played by director Cromer) casually but specifically pointing out various areas of the town and introducing the townsfolk and various events as they unfold.
George and Emily are the central characters, as they experience conflict, then woo, and marry. And encounter heartbreak.
For others too, all is not sweetness and light. Simon Stimson, the choir leader (intensely played by Jonathan Mastro, who also composed and plays original music for the production), drowns his sorrows in drink, while others comment, “He’s had more than his share of troubles.” The specifics are never made clear, but it doesn’t matter. We all have troubles.
Perhaps the power of this Pulitzer Prize-winning play lies in the juxtaposition of simple, everyday occurrences—kids doing homework, church choir practice, George and Emily visiting a soda fountain—against the knowledge of the finiteness and ephemerality of the human experience. Then, perhaps more than everything, “Our Town” is poetry, bringing its experience far above and beyond that of a simple realistic play.
Take, for example, the sequence where Rebecca describes to brother George a letter addressed to a friend, not only spelling out on the envelope the city and state, but adding: “the United States of America, Continent of North America, Western Hemisphere, the Earth, the Solar System, the Universe, the Mind of God.” Then Rebecca states, with wonderment, “And the postman brought it just the same.”
For “Our Town” to work well, the finest ensemble playing is required, and David Cromer’s production supplies that. But in addition, the leading players breathe powerful life into their portrayals: the aforementioned Myers, Brazda, Grace, Montgomery, Marks, Mastro, and a remarkable portrayal, among many remarkable portrayals, in the person of James McMenamin, whose George tenderly runs the gamut from adolescent pain to yearning to maturity.
Director Cromer often has the characters move among the audience, creating a sense of heightened intimacy and participation in the production.
To serve the play, which is staged in three-quarter round, the simple set by Michele Spadaro initially consists of two tables and chairs for the Gibbs and Webbs, but the final sequence displays a theatrical astonishment to be treasured. I thought I heard and smelled actual bacon frying.
This is a wonderful production, terse, unsentimental, and poignant, as it was meant to be.
Our Town
Barrow Street Theatre
27 Barrow Street
Tickets: 212-868-4444
Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Closes: Jan. 31
Diana Barth writes and publishes “New Millennium,” an arts newsletter. She also contributes to TotalTheater.com.
