There are undoubtedly some shows in the theatrical canon that are overdone. It can be groan-inducing to see the same plays and musicals performed over and over again, revived and revisited ad nauseam. Thornton Wilder’s classic “Our Town,” while frequently produced, isn’t one of them.
This slice of Americana is always a welcome watch, especially when presented with so able a cast. Pittsburgh Playhouse’s gripping production of the timeless play will run through April 12 at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse in Downtown Pittsburgh.
No matter who you are, I think we can all agree that we’re having a tumultuous week. There is something so soothing about the back-to-basics nature of a tale like “Our Town,” which zeroes in on the everyday lives of the residents of Grover’s Corners, N.H., at the turn of the 20th century. From daily visits by the milkman to the putting-up of beans for the winter to choir practices and wedding days, getting to sit with the mundane minutiae is, well, just nice.
But there’s more to the play than that. Told in three acts, “Our Town” starts with a first part structured around a day in the life of the town. Following that is a wedding, and we end on … perhaps a darker note, but not one without hope and love.
“Our Town” premiered in Princeton, N.J., in 1938 and has been performed all over the world. Pittsburgh Playhouse has also put on the play previously, first in 1940 during the company’s sixth season. It is considered by some to be one of the greatest American plays ever written.
Much like a small town, the sparse show runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to the complex and precise direction of Ricardo Vila-Roger. Performed with the audience on three sides, the show has very few set pieces outside of props, but scenic designer Johnmichael Bohach manages to evoke a sense of place despite the abstract setting. The script makes that possible as well, thanks to the unique device of the Stage Manager.
The character of the Stage Manager (Cecilia Staggers) is a sort of all-knowing, omnipresent figure who narrates the play, often breaking the fourth wall. Even stepping into the action of the play itself, the Stage Manager acts as both a guide for the audience and a guide for the characters. Staggers is a commanding and comforting presence, both businesslike and compassionate.
While the cast of characters is vast, much of the play’s action revolves around the stories of the Webb and Gibbs families. We watch as Mrs. Webb (Ocean Chang), Mr. Webb (Gabriel Hammesfahr), Mrs. Gibbs (Emilee Edick) and Doc Gibbs (Benjamin Kucharski) go through their daily routines. All four actors, though young, do an impressive job of portraying the easy bustle of the day-to-day, maintaining a household and family.
Then there are their children, Emily Webb (Emma Delaware) and George Gibbs (Rayhan Khimji), whose friendship and relationship is the throughline of the three acts. They are sweet together, and both have poignant emotional moments. Delaware’s third act performance is truly exceptional.
The cast has a lot of great moments together. A second-act scene between future father-in-law Hammesfahr and son-in-law Khimji had the audience cackling with laughter at Wednesday’s opening night. And the final act brings with it heartbreaking interactions between Delaware’s Emily and Edick’s Mrs. Gibbs.
Being so sparse, the production is enhanced by Ryan McMasters’ sound design (with the chugging of trains, crowing of roosters and other scene-setting effects) and lighting design by Piper Steffek. The ighting is especially important, indicating times of day, locations and even weather with simple but effective shifts.
Not everything about “Our Town” is as simple as ice cream sodas and math homework. The audience — and the Stage Manager — share in the triumphs and tragedies of characters who are very much like us. But even hard endings are worth such engrossing and enjoyable journeys. The play is a reminder to see the beauty in the small moments — and in the lives of small towns.
“Our Town” will run at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse in Downtown Pittsburgh through April 12. To get tickets, visit playhouse.pointpark.edu.