A Review of Thorton Wilder’s Our Town at Cambridge’s Hubbard Hall

Our Town, Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall, Cambridge (Review)

Closing this weekend at the Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall (TCHH) in Cambridge is the highly acclaimed play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Written in 1938, Our Town won Wilder his third Pulitzer Prize, making him the only writer to win the prize in both fiction and drama. The play, set in the early 1900s, is divided into three acts, centering on the day-to-day lives of the people of (fictional) Grover’s Corners, NH. The Stage Manager—speaking directly to the audience as well as the characters throughout the play—introduces the town and gives some statistics on its history and geographical situation. Act I centers on the theme of daily life. Staying true to Wilder’s wishes for the original play, there are very few props and no scenery. He felt it would be easier for the audience members to relate to/project upon the characters if they were on a bare stage, away from “the particular.” Although I can appreciate a lessening of scenery, the result necessitated far too much miming, which was often distracting and looked unrealistic at times.

Nevertheless, as the play progresses the actors become a bit more focused in their characters as the relationships develop. Act II centers on love and marriage, emphasizing the bond between Emily Webb, a young girl in the town, and her longtime friend George. Jim Staudt as George is witty, engaging and fun to watch as the small-town boy trying to decide between going away to farming school and staying and admitting his love for Emily. Alexandra Jennings’ performance as Emily is some of the best stage acting I have seen in years—she is at once youthful and wise, outgoing yet nervous, sharp yet timid. She also has brilliant comedic timing and made each moment something completely different and special. Her interaction with George epitomized the awkwardness of transitioning out of the “friend zone” and admitting their feelings for one another. At the end of the scene, Emily and George marry despite both getting cold feet beforehand.

The last act begins with the Stage Manager telling the audience that there is something eternal in all of us, but takes a somber turn as we learn that someone has passed away. Centering on the theme of death and eternity, Wilder crafts an arresting portrait of what it might be like to watch life go on without you. We find out that Emily has died during childbirth, leaving her family and friends grief-stricken. Emily herself is not ready to leave behind her human existence, and tells the other deceased people in the graveyard that she is going to try to enter back into her earthly life. They warn her against it, but Emily is determined, and decides to enter back into the day of her twelfth birthday. The audience watches painfully as Emily tries to interact with her mother and father as they prepare breakfast, call to her from downstairs, and discuss plans for the day. But they of course do not see her, and she begins to regret her decision to look back. Suddenly, something so seemingly mundane becomes achingly and definitively unreachable. At this point, Emily has a revelation about human life as she says, “Oh, Earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute?”

At this point in the production, several people in the audience were discreetly wiping their eyes. I credit this to not only the eerily perceptive writing on Thornton Wilder’s part, but also to the diversely talented group of actors and directors involved in the production. I would highly recommend going to see the play if possible this weekend. Directors Randolyn Zinn and Allen McCullough (who also plays the Stage Manager) note, “Wilder emphasizes the wonders and beauty of daily life, yet his message is neither sentimental nor romantic, reaching beyond the limited grasp of his characters’ comments.”

For more information on show times and tickets, call 518-677-2495 as the times listed online are no longer accurate.

–Cora Sugarman is an Assistant Editor of The Free George.

The Free George is the online magazine and visitors’ guide of Upstate NY, covering things from Albany to Lake Placid, including Saratoga, the Lake George region and the Adirondacks. Check out our new City Blogs section for our extended coverage areas as well. 

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