Stage Review: Our Town

On its 602 performance at the Off-Broadway Barrow Street Theatre, I finally was in the audience of David Cromer's ingenious production of Our Town, Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play from 1938. There are only a few times I've been speechless after a show (August: Osage County, Next to Normal, the final moments of the Hair revival, and Next Fall come to mind); Our Town was the first time I have left a performance speechless and gasped aloud. Cromer has not only revitalized a classic piece of American theatre, but also put together one of the best shows currently running in New York, Theatre District or not.

Our Town tells the story of average people living in an average small farming town at the turn of the twentieth century; told over three acts, the play begins in 1901, and ends in 1913. The play is constructed as a beautiful and touching allegory about anyone's journey through life. Before you see this production, you must read the play (thank you, Ross Ramone, for pushing me to do this beforehand); I'm ashamed to say I read Our Town for the first time this summer. Not only is it a remarkable work that has held up incredibly well since its first publication in 1938, but the impact of Cromer's interpretation is even more incredible if you're familiar with the material. Cromer is a master with the play's language - he mines every laugh, tear, emotion, overlapping dialogue, and perfectly-timed silence to great effect.

Our Town's most noteworthy aspect is its meta-theatrical devices. The play has almost no scenery; the scene is set by the Stage Manager (currently Michael McKean), a "character" who breaks the fourth wall and guides the audience through Grover's Corners. Cromer further destroys the divide between audience and stage - there are even fewer props than the original play calls for, the house lights never go down, and the separation of performance space from the audience is almost entirely eliminated. The actors walk amongst the audience - I was seated directly at the Gibbs's imaginary backdoor; throughout Out Town, the audience is constantly reminded that they are watching a performance. The frame of the production is placed in modern day, with modern actors doing little to transport their physical presence to the play's time period. The actors wear modern clothes, with subtle nods to more formal costumes and their characters. When the Stage Manager walks in, it could be any audience member entering. These actors bring a believable allure to the show's everyday actions.

Cromer's most remarkable decision comes late, when he deviates drastically from Wilder's stage directions, which heightens the play's themes and final message. I wouldn't dare spoil Cromer's "twist," but this moment is what made me gasp... It was one of the most stunning moments I have ever seen on stage. The final act of Our Town is a heartbreakingly emotional coda about how one lives their life every day; it's the perfect finale to a near-perfect play. Many productions of Our Town are weakened by folky schmatz; Cromer strips away all needless sentimentality, revealing the raw and lasting emotion at the play's core. This Our Town demands to be seen. A+