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Victorian Players’ ‘Our Town’ is an exquisite take on a classic
By MILAN PAURICH
YOUNGSTOWN
After sweeping last month’s Marquee Awards, the Victorian Players kick off their 2010-11 season with a sterling revival of “Our Town” that sets a benchmark for Youngstown’s “little theater that could.”
Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer winner has been kicking around community theater circles so long it’s easy to take for granted. Yet director Sam Luptak Jr.‘s exceedingly lovely production of Wilder’s play reminds us why “Our Town” is one of the most beloved of American dramas.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Grover’s Corners, N.H., and its quirky, archetypal denizens. Even indifferent stagings of “OT” can cast their spell, thanks to Wilder’s irresistible blend of sentimentality, symbolism and satire. But rarely have I seen a version as thoughtfully cast, or one that fires on as many cylinders as Luptak’s jewel-boxlike rendition.
Every “OT” rises or falls on the strength of its Stage Manager, Emily Webb and George Gibbs, and Luptak truly hit the jackpot with David El’Hatton, Lisandra Stebner and Dylan White who deliver well-nigh definitive interpretations of their iconic roles. Luptak took a lot of advance heat for casting Emily and George with actors younger than the norm (Stebner is an eighth-grader; White is in 10th grade), but that courageous decision pays huge dividends. Emphasizing the characters’ youthfulness only enhances the poignancy of their ultimate star-crossed destiny.
Spanning 12 years in the lives of George, Emily, their families and various other Grover’s Corners citizenry (Constable Warren, Professor Willard, Howie Newsome, et al), “Our Town” is a microcosm — and distillation — of the American Experience. Births and weddings are joyously celebrated; deaths are soberly mourned; life goes on. Although wrapped in a cozy, nostalgic veneer, it’s worth remembering that this was once considered an almost avant-garde play. The purposefully empty stage, the lack of props (actors busily pantomime everything from sipping ice cream sodas to mowing the lawn) and the Stage Manager’s persistent breaking of the fourth wall still seem innovative 72 years after “OT”’s premiere.
If Act One suffers from minor pacing problems, that’s probably because it’s so exposition-heavy (albeit very charming exposition) as Wilder (and Luptak) introduce a plethora of characters and deliver background history on Grover’s Corners. Things pick up exponentially, climaxing with a third act so exquisitely, profoundly, cathartically moving, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. (Bring Kleenex.)
Stebner, so memorable as Helen Keller in the Vic’s 2009 production of “Miracle Worker,” delivers a performance of breathtaking acuity and amazing, effortless grace.
El’Hatton’s wry, folksy Stage Manager is equally impressive: a masterly feat of thespian legerdemain that deserves to become the stuff of local legend. White beautifully captures George’s boyishness without stinting on his character’s incipient manhood. Dave Wolford (Mr. Webb), Leigh Ann Cox (Mrs. Webb), John Pecano (Dr. Gibbs) and Terry Shears (pickled church organist Simon Stimson) are standouts in a supporting cast that makes nary a false move. This is ensemble acting of the highest caliber, and Luptak’s “Our Town” is one for the time capsule. I can’t imagine a more touching — or satisfying — production of Wilder’s evergreen classic.