‘Our Town’ Review: Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes Charm in Reimagining of the Broadway Classic
It takes a great deal of work to make the ordinary enticing, but that’s precisely what director Kenny Leon does in his production of Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Our Town.” Set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, the three-act play offers the audience snapshots of the inner workings of a typical American town. Days in Grover’s Corners consist of milk deliveries, baseball, choir practices, conversations around the dinner table and even a young couple falling in love. While nothing extraordinary occurs, the heart of the story is about how people relate to one another, which the play convincingly argues is the most essential aspect of life.
“Our Town” begins with the introduction of the Stage Manager (a perfectly cast Jim Parsons). He works diligently to offer the audience a lay of the land. From Grover’s geographical layout to the forewarnings of what’s to come, viewers are compelled to take an interest in this place because of him. Once oriented, the narrative begins. Opening in 1901, “Our Town” centers on two neighboring families, the Gibbs and the Webbs. Dr. Gibbs (Billy Eugene Jones) and his wife, Mrs. Gibbs (Michelle Wilson), are pillars of the community. They have two children, George (Ephraim Sykes) and Rebecca (Safiya Kaijya Harris). Just a house over are Mr. Webb (Richard Thomas), Grover’s newspaper publisher, his wife, Mrs. Webb (Katie Holmes) and their children, Emily (Zoey Deutch) and Wally (Hagan Oliveras).
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Across three acts—one at the turn of the century, the second in 1904, and the final set in 1913 (and all three condensed in this production into one intermission-less evening)—audiences watch as Grover’s Corners, its citizens and these two families grow and change. Since Grover’s is so small, boasting a population of less than 3,000, nothing too drastic happens to its infrastructure. However, rooted in humor and deep emotion, the people shift and transform with the times. Dr. Gibbs scolds George for not helping his mother chop the wood in one scene. In another, Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs return home late from choir practice with the gossip-loving Mrs. Soames (Julie Halston) in a tizzy over Simon Stimson’s (Donald Webber Jr.) drunken antics. Later, on a moonlit night, viewers watch George and Emily converse. The spark of recognition between them will eventually become romantic.
When it comes down to it, “Our Town” doesn’t have a lot of plot, but it succeeds because it captures the most magnificent part of the human experience—life itself. Its outstanding performances and minimalistic set design by Beowulf Boritt highlight the brevity and magic of being alive. As Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs move around in their kitchens every morning to prepare breakfast, they mime without props, but the smell of bacon wafts through the theater (literally). When Emily and George gaze out of their windows in the evening, it’s easy to envision the full moon and crisp breeze.
Moreover, there is also something to be said about inclusive casting. Adding more depth to a narrative originally written for white, able-bodied actors, Leon’s choice to cast deaf actor John McGinty as milkman Howie Newsome and Black actors in the production further showcase how timeless and universal Wilder’s words are. Despite our differences and the things that divide us, being alive is about the little things: coffee in the morning, a warm place to lay our heads or even hopes of the future.
Though “Our Town” runs just 105 minutes, much shorter than the original two hours and 35 minutes, the last act does drag a bit. This final chapter centers on death and what we miss out on when we’re not truly present. However, these scenes lean toward melodrama, removing some of the sharpness constructed in the play’s first two acts. Still, Leon masters the core of Wilder’s message. Life is fragile and fleeting, and love is all that matters.
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