By Hannah Cass
In Brigham’s Playhouse’s Our Town by Thornton Wilder, we find that things are a lot different now than they used to be back in the day, and by “back in the day” I mean the start of the 20th Century. There weren’t near as many distractions, unless you count people watching and bird watching and maybe some sports. Towns were barely adjusting to automobiles, and horse-drawn carriages were the most popular means of long-distance transportation, aside from trains, of course. Milk and cream came straight from the cow to your door. Most people were farmers that raised their own food and livestock. Women didn’t dare to wear pants until the 20s, and gender roles were ever-prevalent. To most people living in today’s world, the lifestyle from back then seems really boring.
However, as I watched Our Town, it took me until around Act Two to finally realize that that was entirely the point. There’s nothing necessarily exciting or different about the town of Grover’s Corner; it’s boring enough that we can relate to the simplicity of the characters. Maybe that sounded harsh, but let me explain: There are three basic timelines we go through as humans that connect us all: Daily Life (the first act), Love And Marriage (second act), and Death and Eternity (final act). Through the people and relationships of this town, these ideas are explored and life lessons are learned. In this sense, as people, we still haven’t changed since then.
We’re given the entire layout of the town by Stage Manager and Narrator Scott Zaborski, who very passionately assumed every role he performed with acute seriousness and sincerity. His performances were so convincing that I pretended I was watching a movie. This tale centers around two families, the Webb family and the Gibbs family, who are neighbors and friends. Both have two children each, a son and a daughter, Emily Webb (Savvy Knapp), Wally Webb (Pierson Robison), George Gibbs (Porter Christensen), and Rebecca Gibbs (Brynlee Lot). Maybe you see where this is going already, so I’ll go ahead and reveal that Emily and George take the forefront of the most human themes in this production. Even my husband got choked up by the end.
The relationships of the other town members are also interesting and very relevant to the plot in Act Three. George’s parents Frank and Julia (Tony Ort and Susan Ort), Emily’s parents Charles and Myrtle (John Dearing and Janet Leavitt), the town drunk Simon Stimson (Brian Grob), Professor Willard (TJ Weddington) and many others. Every single cast member in this production did so much in keeping the feeling of this story alive.
Just as important as the cast are the people behind the scenes who aid in making the tale come to life. Jamie Young is the Producer and Lighting Designer, and I loved the lighting choices made during the essential moments of each act that highlighted the theme of it. Tina Forsyth is Director, and Sound Designer alongside Ashley Wilkes. Zaborski as costume designer works with Jackie Collette and Nancy Benner to create costumes for each character that are wonderfully 20th century. I particularly loved Emily’s white dress in the third act. Stage Managers Karissa Young and Jasmine Anderson (also the sound and light board operator) work with Music Director Kari Young Taylor Williams, who provides the performance tracks. The lovely set is designed by Tonya Christensen; the floral fence arrangements add so much to the scene and the small space was used well.
The bottom line There are many cheap cialis medications available today for sexual dysfunction, but they don’t compare with this one. Hence, their consolidation may consequence with extreme negative impact. super cheap cialis Kamagra Treating with Kamagra has become overnight viagra online http://downtownsault.org/2014-glad-dance-intensive-kicks-off-downtown-on-august-18/ an easy method as within consumption, one finds a complete revitalization of the sexual level moments. If you put it in common way, a woman may well be physically fit to conceive and generic viagra cheap there has been no success.
Regardless of today’s advancements, we as human beings still seek answers to life’s biggest questions. Why are we here? Why do we love? What happens when we die? Explore these themes and more at Brigham’s Playhouse’s wonderful and wholesome Our Town.
Brigham’s Playhouse presents Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Cottontown Village, 25 North 300 West, Washington, Utah, 84780
March 30-April 28, Thurs-Sat 7:00 PM, Sat 2:00 PM
Tickets: $17-28
Contact: 435-251-8000
Brigham’s Playhouse Facebook Page
Our Town Facebook Event
0 Comments