Our Town is “the greatest American play ever written,” or at least that’s what Edward Albee, the late and I’m sure, great playwright said. Now whether the Warde theater department faithfully upheld that glowing review from eighty years ago, is up to those who showed up at the three day performance spanning from November 17th-19th.
Starring Hannah Pressman, Sawyer Peduto, and River Peterson, this show portrays an array of emotions about life, ranging from everyday behaviors, love, and death.
“The performances are really fun to watch, and it’s always cool to see my friends,” said Miriam Grosman, a junior here at Warde. She added, “I love to see the Warde shows every year, because they’re always interesting to watch. I can’t wait for the musical!”
The show is broken into 3 acts, with the first titled A Day in the Life. This act features an ordinary day in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. We see the Webb and Gibbs families, with their respective young children, and the comical antics that come with breakfast before school. But, the act doesn’t end there. The audience also sees choir practice, the blossoming relationship between Emily Webb and George Gibbs, and the relationships between fathers and their children.
Act 2, (my personal favorite), is titled Love and Marriage. This is set a few years later, and has a bittersweet wedding, including some hilarious commentary from Mrs. Soames, played by Jillian Mitchell, and powerful revelations from Mrs. Webb, played by Charlotte Stack (me!). We also see George and Emily experience cold feet, which makes the audience feel topsy-turvy about their marriage.
The final act, Death, is a definite tear jerker for those off and on stage. Emily Webb has died, her death predeceeding her parents. She joins Mrs. Soames, Mrs. Gibbs, played by Aiinza Muyenje, Wally, Emily’s brother, played by Rayne Darken, and other characters from Grover’s Corners who too have died. Emily then decides to flashback to her twelfth birthday, where she relives all of it, and realizes how special life on earth truly is. It’s at this point that if you’re in the audience and not crying, you’re doing something wrong. Such a heartbreaking scene.