Thornton Wilder’s Our Town chronicles small-town life at the turn of the twentieth century. Through its three acts the play depicts Daily Life, Love and Marriage, and Death. Framing the activity of the acts is the narrator, the Stage Manager.
For the most part the set consists of a bare stage and uses minimal props. The actors shift the few props onstage in full view of the audience. This transparent theatricality is crucial to Our Town and director Christopher Mastropietro does well to keep playwright’s original wishes intact. However, the actors on stage have varying degrees of success with their miming, which can become distracting. Mime aside, the cast does a fine job, though their small-town accents could use some refining.
Our Town is mainly centred around two families: the Gibbs and the Webbs. Generally, the actors in these two families were a lot of fun to watch. A particularly enjoyable scene is of two gossipy wives from both families, played by Clara Pasieka and Madeleine Swinkon; the two women have a great camaraderie with one another. Another stand-out performance is by Jesse Watts as Mr. Webbs, the kind but firm father. Mr. Webbs has the potential of being played as a bit harsh, but Watts chose a light-hearted interpretation of the character, which makes for an enjoyable watch.
Megan Ready-Walters gives a sweet and charming performance as Emily Webb, the central character of the three acts. However, between the two acts there is a gap of three years where Emily goes from a high-school girl to a bride, but there is little distinction made between two acts, which limits the feeling of growth.
Our Town is, above all, a story about common human experience. Its situation in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners divorces it from a rigid historical account, though temporally, the play is set in 1901, 1904, and 1913. Mastropietro says that Wilder tells “the only story worth telling”: one that focuses on human contact and is “not to be isolated in any period.” However, this production would have been better served with a little less ambiguity. The Stage Manager, played by Kevin Chiao, is a mysterious character within the text.
Unfortunately, the many monologues of the Stage Manager lack variation and the performance does not have the authoritative edge that the character implies. However, I will admit that in seeing an unlit and uncostumed run-through, I was not able to witness the play in its full effect. Ultimately, Victoria College’s Our Town has a lot of potential, a stronger focus would help tighten some of the loose ends. Nonetheless, some strong acting performances kept the scenes entertaining.
Our Town runs October 27-29 at Isabel Bader Theatre
