Aside from my attendance at Theater in the Round last Friday, my only experience with the play “Our Town” was watching the fabulous TV show that defined my eighth grade experience. (I mean, of course, “My So-Called Life.”) Through Rayanne’s portrayal of Emily in “Our Town,” she and Angela were able to reconcile the rift in their friendship that Rayanne had caused by sleeping with Jordan Catalano. The tears I shed while watching that episode sprung from a) my knowledge that I would never sleep with Jordan Catalano, and b) the emotions conjured up by the poignant and angst-ridden story of this play.
Unfortunately, none of these emotions were aroused in me Friday night. Put bluntly, this was a rather mediocre production of a rather mediocre play. First, the play: as director Lynn Musgrave says, “It is quintessentially American, unapologetically patriotic, and - yes - sentimental.” That about sums it up. The three acts take us though three different years in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire: 1901, 1904 and 1913. One of the limitations of such a script is that the director is pretty much confined to a period piece; I imagine that playing around with its context could only be disastrous. The script has some great moments, though, such as the line, “Isn’t the moonlight terrible?” and, from the ten-year-old Rebecca, “Do you know what I love most in the world? Money.” It doesn’t get much more “quintessentially American” than that. In Thornton Wilder’s defense, he’s written in some great moments of metatheatricality (for those of you who want to get technical), often with quite amusing results.
On to the production: Theater in the Round shines in its ability to use its space. The set was kept to a minimum, using only tables and chairs with the addition of ladders for Emily and George to do their window scene. The wood for the set was stained with red stripes, and the floor was painted blue with white stars, an inexcusably cheesy touch. Overall though, the space reflected the simplicity of life in Grover’s Corners - kudos to the set designer. Okay, this is getting a little much, but the sound direction was also very good; the ambient noises and great sound cues filled up the largely empty space and enhanced the production.
The main asset of “Our Town” was the performance of Charles Torrey as the Stage Manager, the narrator for the story. Torrey took what could be a bland role and made it shine. There are also some cute moments between George and Emily, the two protagonists, in their awkward teenage moments. The last act of the play, however, consisted mostly of Emily whining. This got annoying after a while, as did the performance of Laura Zabel as Emily. Give me A.J. Langer any day (that’s the actor who played Rayanne, by the way, for those of you who were not “My So-Called Life” addicts)
So, would I go see “Our Town” again? Nope. But, as evidence by all the sniffling around me, some people found it really touching. I might just be cynical as hell. (Feeling decidedly unpatriotic at the moment probably didn’t help either.) Did going to see “Our Town” make me want to watch the tape I have of “My So-Called Life?” Absolutely. So if you decide not to see the play, I suggest you find one of your brilliant friends who was wise enough to tape all the episodes when they were on MTV. You won’t be sorry.
