Theater Review: Good Company Players’ ‘Our Town’ is an American classic done well
By Heather Parish
For some of us, “Our Town” conjures competing images of homespun-calico goodness and excruciatingly maudlin high school performances, neither of which is fair to the play. At the core of Thornton Wilder’s 1938 philosophical drama about lives lived in a small American town is a kernel of harshness as cold as a New Hampshire winter. Good Company Players’ current presentation delivers it simply, lyrically, and without unnecessary embellishment, allowing its questions about life, death, and our place in eternity to rise to the surface.
“Our Town” focuses on two children in two families in Grover’s Corners, a New England town of approximately 3,000 living souls. The story is told on a nearly bare stage with no props, only tables, chairs, and those two iconic ladders where George Gibbs (Benjamin Geddert) and Emily Webb (Madeline Wristen) climb and dream. The narrator (Dan Pessano) is called the Stage Manager for a reason. He calls attention to the dream-like atmosphere of the stage and how, for many people, life itself is “but a dream.”
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Wilder was exacting in his instructions in the stage directions that the play should be “performed without sentimentality or ponderousness — simply, dryly and sincerely.” Director Robert Sanchez stages the play accordingly, allowing the events of Grover’s Corners to unfold naturally, without fanfare yet with a touch of humor. Thankfully, the cast and designers followed suit, which means Wilder likely would have approved of this “Our Town.” The result is a stark and straightforward look into humankind spoken in the plain, powerful language of America in the first half of the 20th century.
Pessano, with his understated wit and matter-of-fact delivery, is a perfect fit for the Stage Manager. He guides the audience through Grover’s Corners with a plainspoken generosity, connecting each bite-sized detail to a character’s larger story. Geddert’s George is one of his strongest performances, earnest and focused. Wristen is a delightfully energetic Emily, building her big moments to support an impressive third act performance, exploring life’s losses and insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
It is in life’s bitterness that “Our Town” can really sing, when done correctly. Experiences of everyday joy — births, baseball, basking in the glow of a moon — give way to the darkness of death, disappointment, and depression so swiftly that you’re left with a bit of emotional whiplash. The ensemble shores these moments up with a bevy of exceptional performances, particularly in Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs (Greg Ruud, Tracy Hostmyer), Mr. and Mrs. Webb (Henry Montelongo, Sue Backman), and Simon Stimson (Roger Christensen), the poignant example of a sad man who has seen “a peck of trouble.” The majority of the ensemble maintain the play’s tone admirably.
While some may think that a bare stage design is easy to pull off, it can be a bit tricky. Set designer David Pierce keeps things seamless with his selection of furnishings and floor texture. The excellent lighting by Elizabeth Crifasi does most of the heavy lifting. With judicious use of light cues and gobos, the production has a mildly sepia tone to it. Ginger Kay Lewis-Reed’s costumes and Steve Souza’s wigs are nicely understated and pulled together.
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I am truly impressed with how this production balances Wilder’s unflinching existentialism with a buoyancy and lightness that keeps it from becoming one of those aforementioned maudlin performances. It is an entertaining show, offering big ideas and good humor at every turn. I attribute that to Pessano’s presence. Given his significant place in local theater, watching generations of young people arrive, learn, grow and often leave GCP stages, his Stage Manager offers a few extra layers of dramatic subtext here. If you were ever a GCP kid, I recommend you attend this show just to take in Dan’s performance.
In some ways, Pessano is Fresno’s own figurative Stage Manager, telling our story as the audience comes and goes each weekend. “Our Town” is worth your time if you’re interested in experiencing an American classic done well.
“Our Town” runs at the 2nd Space Theatre through Oct. 6.
Steph
Heather! This is SO well written! Not an unnecessary word in the bunch. You have perfectly conveyed everything one needs to know and hear about this show.
I seriously hadn’t planned on seeing it and now I feel I must based on this review.
Great job.
Jackie Ryle
Beautifully said, Heather. Thank you. I absolutely loved it. I, too, have seen it many times, and this cast and direction bring it to its best. Your description and characterization of Dan are perfectly right on. Thank you. Everyone should veer this one