Our Town

Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, was written in the 1930s about the small fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. The play’s three acts take place between 1901 and 1913, the first act looking at an ordinary day in the town, the second a wedding and the third, eternity and death.

Wilder was unhappy with the theatrical conventions of his day, so the play’s set is plain and dark with a few pieces of furniture, hardly any props – meaning that they have to be mimed – and a ‘stage manager’ who breaks the fourth wall to become narrator/storyteller.

All in all then quite a challenge for an amateur company in a small east midlands town but I thought Tingdene Entertainers coped well with Our Town.

The play is about characters and community. The town’s characters were portrayed strongly by principals and support alike. Particular mention should go to Dan Pothecary outstanding as likeable, uncomplicated George Gibbs and Elizabeth Landon as Emily Webb, the childhood sweetheart and perceptive young woman who becomes his wife. There were also strong performances from Keith Maddern, the editor of the local newspaper, Becky Hawksbee, playing his wife, and Linda Westley as doctor’s wife Mrs Julia Hersey-Gibbs.

Chris Lynch had a mammoth task as the stage manager. There were many long speeches which, in general, he delivered in character to good effect. That said, whilst he was careful to take pauses at appropriate times he could have slowed down – his story is interesting and I wanted to feel more ‘drawn in’ to the tale of his community, especially in the first act.

I was impressed by the strength and consistency of the accents and diction was good, though at times more volume was needed from some of the players. Without props the play depends on good mime (e.g. to show someone eating breakfast, drinking, leading a horse) – usually well done, but sometimes a little self-conscious and half-hearted.

Costumes, appropriate to the time, added to the period feel of the play.

The thought-provoking third act, on the subject of death and eternity, with Emily Webb (Gibb), who has died in childbirth returning to ‘relive’ her twelfth birthday and regretting it, was done particularly well.

In conclusion I am glad that I had the opportunity to see this interesting and challenging play, with many thanks to Tingdene Entertainers.

Alex Wood

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