Coming amid growing global turmoil combined with the very real joy of the first few days of spring, the scheduling of Our Town seems almost prophetic.
OUR VERDICT
Helen Murray
Written in 1938 by American Thornton Wilder, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play centres on a ‘typical day’ in Grover's Corners.
It’s 1901, and life in this small New Hampshire town trundles on as the residents rise early to greet the milkman, the paperboy and the doctor who has been up all night delivering twins.
However, thanks to forewarnings delivered by the narrator or ‘stage manager’ played by the mighty Michael Sheen, we are aware the convivial community will inevitably be touched by tragedy before the sun sets on its narrative.
Set in 1901, Wilder’s turn-of-the-20th-century allegory is one that has been played out countless times across American culture: the white picket-fence confidence of a nation on the cusp of greatness; the optimism of citizens who have swapped Europe’s old order for a shot at the ‘American dream’; and a commitment to small-town decency that has served as the backdrop of hundreds of Hollywood offerings from It’s a Wonderful Life to Dawson’s Creek. Sadly, it is a version of America that we increasingly no longer recognise, which adds an added element of poignancy and regret.
Helen Murray
However, in this production, which is being staged jointly by the Welsh National Theatre and the Rose, Grovers Corners has been ‘partially’ transported to Wales.
Characters are heavily accented, hymns are sung in the national language, and there is mention of various hills and valleys. But so too are major US states and events – the Louisiana Purchase, visitors and trains coming from Boston and New Hampshire, drug stores and so on.
Yes, we understand the intent is to highlight the universality of the everyday experience in an unassuming small town, but I am not sure the conceit was entirely successful. The varying degrees of accents also meant that at times, Grovers’ Corners sounded like it could have been in Mexico.
Michael Sheen oversees events much like a proud father – there is real wit, warmth and wisdom in his omnipresent stage manager, ensuring this gentle tale stays on course until it meets its melancholy close.
Helen Murray
The rest of the cast are also masterful with notable performances from Nia Roberts as Mrs Webb and Peter Devlin as George Gibbs, delivering heart-warming yet heart-breaking turns.
Directed by Francesca Goodridge, with Russell T Davies as creative associate, the production also combines elements of physical theatre, mime and dance. The staging is beautifully realised with actors deftly wielding planks, ladders and wooden chairs to create homes, a schoolroom and a cemetery.
The blend of traditional music with a ‘Celtic folk’ also works well, but the latter is something that seems to have become a little overused, as it would seem every production for the past few years must feature actors stamping and slapping the stage in lieu of percussion.
These small points aside, this is a very worthwhile, well-told morality tale for our time. We could be in New Hampshire, we could be in Newport, but the message is clear: savour each and every sunny day, the people around you and the life you live now.
Helen Murray
