The Soulpepper Theatre Company just opened their production of Our Town for the 4th time in 10 years.
Having seen the production when it opened the Young Centre For The Performing Arts in January of 2006, it's amazing how so little has changed in between productions. The play was riviting then, and it still is. Something has to be said not only for the playwright himself, Thornton Wilder (The Matchmaker) but for the Soulpepper Theatre Company as well. They have found a piece of theatre that is so simple and elegant that audiences flock to it and receives critical acclaim almost universally. It's rare to have a show revived so many times within a 10 year period, but if it works, it works.
The story is broken into 3 acts - a day in the life, love & marriage, and death. The play opens with the Stage Manager (an always wonderful Albert Schultz) setting the stage and story up for the audience, and follows the lives of a small town. The second act deals with the love and eventual marriage of George Gibbs (Jeff Lillico) and Emily Webb (Martha MacIssac), two young neighbours in the town. The third act, deals with the death of one of the townspeople, and their ultimate acceptance of their fate. As far as classic plays, Our Town is simply one of the best. While the audience cannot necessarily understand what it was to live at the turn of the 20th century in a small town, each character is crafted so beautifully with absolute sincerity and truth that we are pulled into the lives of this simple people, and by the end of the piece, you are moved to tears.
Schultz as the Stage Manager is exceptional, portraying the narrator as a master storyteller rather than a puppet master. Martha MacIssac and Jeff Lillico reprise their roles as Emily Webb and George Gibbs, and each is a sheer delight to watch. Nancy Palk and Oliver Dennis play George's parents, and Jane Spidell and John Jarvis are the Webb's. These four actors combine to form an explosive core to the piece, each dealing with their characters in fun and different ways.
The piece is directed by Joseph Ziegler, who also helmed the previous productions of the play for Soulpepper. His work on this piece is subtle, moving the actors around effectively on the minimalist set, designed by Shawn Kerwin. They leave the scene locations to the imagination of the audience, which allows us to connect to to the piece further.
Our Town won the Dora Award for Best Production of a Play in 2006, and for good reason - it's an exceptional play handled by some of the finest actors this city has to offer.
Our Town
By Thornton Wilder
Presented by the Soulpepper Theatre Company
Now until August 9th at the Young Centre For The Performing Arts
***** (out of five)
For ticket and show information, click here.
