Our Town
at James Madison High School

Reviewed on November 15, 2014

Eni Oyeleye
Westfield High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Fairfax

Thornton Wilder once wrote, "We can only be said to be alive in the moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." James Madison High School reminded us of these treasures in its touching production of Our Town.

First premiering in Princeton, New Jersey, Our Town opened on Broadway in 1938, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama that year. It also won the 1989 Tony for Best Revival of a Play. Wilder, the playwright was unsatisfied with the conventional theatre of his era, so he wrote a meta-theatrical piece with a minimalistic set, the use of pantomiming instead of props, and a regular breaking of the "fourth wall".

Our Town is a three-act play set in the town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, between the years of 1901 and 1913, and explores the themes of life, love, and death through the lens of a small town and its residents. The Webb and the Gibbs families form the central focus of the plot, and the play follows the everyday lives of these families, the falling in love of George Gibbs and Emily Webb, and the consequences and lessons of death. The story is told by an omniscient narrator, who is known as the Stage Manager.

In spite of some issues with the consistency of accents, the cast performed the piece as the playwright intended. Their overall performance was simplistic and nuanced, which was supplemented well by the minimalistic set and the effective pantomiming of prop pieces. The cast drew the audience into the world of Grover's Corners from start to finish, and didn't need an elaborate set to do so.

Leading the show was Caroline Campbell as Emily Webb. Webb's performance was especially strong in the final act of the play, which deals with her untimely death. The subject matter of the third act is especially somber and Campbell matched the level of reflection, fear, and incredulousness necessary for the moment. Her connection with Matthew Lansdell, who played her love interest, George Gibbs, was palpable. Lansdell brought a genuine charm to his role and was able to make the audience fall in love with him just as much as Emily did.

Telling the story of Grover's Corners was Mitch Coomer as the Stage Manager. Coomer's deadpan delivery of his lines made for a humorous, yet engrossing character. He also beautifully delivered some of the most poignant lines of the show, which took place in the harrowing final scene. Coomer had much to do with the incredibly powerful effect the show had on the audience.

Despite some issues regarding the period of the costumes, the technical elements of the show worked in tandem with the acting. The lights and sound reflected the simple and nuanced nature of the show, never seeming overpowering or out of place.

James Madison's production of Our Town was such a powerful performance not because it told the story of Grover's Corners, or George Gibbs, or Emily Webb, but because it told the story of the things that make us human. The good and the bad. The laughter and the tears. The joy and the pain. Living and dying.

Alexa Tucker
Westfield High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Fairfax

How will we be remembered? A thousand years from now, people will recall the American Revolution, the world wars, and the nuclear bomb. But how will they know the smaller details of our daily lives – how the millions of us on this earth lived and died? That is exactly what James Madison High School brilliantly portrayed in their production of Our Town.

Written by Thornton Wilder, Our Town premiered on Broadway in 1938 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama later that year. A perennial classic, the show won a Tony Award for Best Revival in 1989 and continues to enjoy widespread popularity today.

Set from 1901 to 1913 in the small town of Grover's Corners, this simplistic yet powerful play follows Emily Webb, George Gibbs, and other town residents as they navigate through daily life, love, and ultimately death. If not outright breaking the fourth wall, Our Town warps it; the stage manager serves as an almost God-like narrator, and the play is traditionally performed with only a minimal set and practically no props. The audience must rely on the actors' pantomiming skills and their own imaginations to fill in the blanks.

The sleepy town of Grover's Corners vividly came to life through the tremendous effort of each cast member. Especially laudable was the painstaking care every actor and actress gave in pantomiming his or her props. While there was some inconsistency with accents, every interaction between cast members was refreshingly organic and effortless.

As the omniscient, all-powerful Stage Manager, Mitch Coomer took responsibility for tying the show together. From his opening description of the town to his closing thoughts on the human experience, Coomer maintained a direct, frank tone of voice that made even the most mundane events seem enthralling. With his almost cynical sense of humor and air of being wise beyond his years, he perfectly captured the unhurried feel of Grover's Corners and the magnitude of the tragedy that occurs.

As Emily Webb, Caroline Campbell brought a tender shyness to her role, especially in her affectionate interactions with Matthew Lansdell as George Gibbs. As their childhood romance developed into marriage, exclamations of "aaaaw!" from the audience grew increasingly common. However, Campbell and Lansdell ultimately broke the audience's hearts in the final act. Emily's broken sobs as George visited her grave were echoed by the audience as they shared in her immeasurable grief.

In a show that strives for simplicity, the well-placed technical aspects struck a perfect balance. The occasional projection of a moon or stained glass church windows provided small touches that served to further establish the setting of each scene. Although all of the props were pantomimed, well-placed sound effects such as the clinking of milk jugs and the clopping of horse's hooves made it seem as if they were physical objects.

Perhaps the tragedy of our lives lies not in whether our way of life will be preserved for future generations, but in how we fail to fully experience our lives now, as we live them. James Madison High School's haunting portrayal of Our Town left audience members in tears as they asked that exact question: "Does anybody ever realize life as they live it… every, every minute?"

Katherine McCool
South Lakes High School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com - Fairfax

Three acts. Two companions. One town. James Madison High School skillfully executed the rustic story of a small town love in its production of Our Town.

Playwright Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town in 1938 as a relief to what he considered an inadequate era of theatre. Wilder incorporated many unconventional methods in his show, including a lack of set pieces and an emphasis on pantomime, in order to reestablish the imaginative facet of theatre. Our Town was subsequently awarded the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This play explores the happenings of a small New Hampshire Town through three stages: Daily Life, Love and Marriage, and Death and Dying. The story is told through the eyes of an omniscient stage manager who focuses on the growing relationship between Emily and George, two town youths who mature together in Grover's Corners.

Mitch Coomer deftly excelled in his role as the Stage Manager. Coomer's nonchalant indifference provided a fascinating contrast from the emotional lives of the townspeople. Coomer expertly interacted with the various characters while maintaining the Stage Manager's own detached persona. Equally impressive were the performances of Caroline Campbell and Matthew Lansdell, who played Emily Webb and George Gibbs, respectively. Campbell adroitly exhibited Emily's dynamic personality as the character grew from a teenager to an adult. Lansdell expressed a plethora of credible emotions ranging from childhood shame to extreme anguish. The growing endearment between Emily and George was evident as Campbell and Lansdell each transformed their character in response to the other.

The parents of George and Emily were portrayed with skillfully chosen personalities. Emily's parents, portrayed by Maaike von Woerdon and Jacob Thompson, indicated their affection towards their daughter with a clever mixture of humor and grief. The paternal expectation of Dr. Gibbs, played by Matt Zanger, admirably complemented the care demonstrated by Mrs. Gibbs, played by Emily Dawes. The close relationships between each set of parents increased as the families were tied together by love and death.

Minor characters epitomized the eccentricities common to every small town. Neveen Shawish played Mrs. Soames, a melodramatic woman who invigorated the stage with her energy. Professor Willard, played by Ashton Schaffer, recounted the history of the town with pompous humor that created a uniquely grandiose character in a town of modest people. Milkboy Howie Newsome, played by Neal Going, saturated Grover's Corners with bucolic innocence. Going constantly molded his idealistic character on the dramatically changing plot, adapting his role to fit whichever mood existed at the moment.

The lighting in Our Town corresponded to various parts of the day, switched by commands from the Stage Manager. This stage lighting, in addition to the various projections on the wall, allowed the audience to envision the various different places and events in the town. Similarly, perfectly timed sound effects created a realistic atmosphere on the stage. The minimalistic set provided a functional usage that did not overpower the actions occurring onstage. The combination of the technical elements established an almost tangible town in which the actors excelled.

James Madison's cast and crew of Our Town performed with an excellent balance of love and grief, efficiently illustrating the changing relationships in a small town.

Lucas Strigel
Tuscarora High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

Plays can transport one to new places, perhaps a magical land, a pivotal point in history, or perhaps the small town of Grover's Corners. While it might sound stale, Our Town, produced by James Madison High School, is a phenomenal play that always pulled me into the lives of these small town people.

Our Town was written in 1938 by none other than Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the small American town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, during the early 20th century. The "Stage Manager" acts as a narrator throughout the production, showing the everyday lives of the people who reside in the small town. Wilder decided to try something new, he decided to use minimal set pieces and props, relying on the use of pantomime. His logic behind this was "I know it's a play, you know it's a play, the only thing that's real in a play is emotion", so that's all he focused on. A difficult task, but given in the right hands, Our Town grew into a huge success, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1938.

Surprisingly enough, James Madison did a great job of painting the image of their town with minimal and simple tech. Chad Robertson did a superb job on sound cues, they were always on point but not overwhelming whatsoever. Josh Laney, who worked on the lights, used different lighting cues for the different times of day, a cloudy moon, and even the stained glass windows of a church! The tech never overpowered the actors, but always provided ominous sounds and lights the fit the scene.

Actor chemistry is the binding force of dramatic interpretation, and Our Town would be nothing without it. All of the actors in James Madison's Our Town had effective emotional bindings and feelings for one another. I felt as if they knew each other for all of their life, which immersed the audience. Another thing that added into the immersion was the use of effective pantomime. The various actors performed their daily tasks as if it was second nature, a good amount of work went into the pantomiming. One of the best moments of the show was when the two main children (Matthew Landsdell and Caroline Campbell) were conversing from their windows. They were across the street from each other, but I could feel the bond between them. What sealed this bond was the faint church choirs singing if the background, one could actually feel a part of their town.

In order to create a town with no set pieces, you have to have someone describe it to you, and that's where the Stage Manager (Mitch Coomer) came in. Coomer had a voice of gold, every little thing that came out of his mouth was perfectly enunciated with appropriate diction. Given into the wrong hands, the Stage Manager wouldn't be the interesting narrator that he was in this show. The audience was always looking forward to hearing what he had to say, Coomer was an excellent casting choice.

The emotional binds brought everyone together, and pulled the audience in. James Madison may have thought they put on a play, but it was much more than that. Our Town hit the audience on an emotional level that they won't forget soon. This show really made one think about life and the purpose behind it. Although Grover's Corners is a fictional town, it will be real to the viewers forever.

Cecily Wolfe
Flint Hill School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

James Madison High School's Our Town began in silence, with the actors and actresses going about their business as they "prepared for the show," this play within a play. As if this were not unusual enough, the minimalistic set, what looked like a backstage area instead of the scenery for a play, and the breaking of the fourth wall by the Stage Manager told the audience that this was not a normal play. Our Town is set in the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, in 1901. The "Stage Manager" narrates the story, introducing the audience to the towns and its inhabitants, particularly the Webb and Gibbs families. The story centers on Emily Webb as she falls in love with and eventually marries George Gibbs. Her untimely death during childbirth leads to an introspective finale, during which Emily revisits one day in her life. Written by Thornton Wilder in 1938, Our Town premiered in McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey, and went on to Broadway, eventually winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The unique charm of Our Town is the way in which it simply discusses very essence of everyday life. In order to convey the idea that life is comprised of the little joys one finds in the otherwise meaningless routine, the actors must take such metaphorical meaning into account. Madison High School's actors did just this. The narrator, the Stage Manager, played by Mitch Coomer, brought a matter-of-fact tone to this production. His grounded nature and precise movements added a comfortable air to the play, and it was clear understood that role was meant to be understated and subtle. Emily (Caroline Campbell) and George (Matthew Lansdell) captured the adolescent nervousness of first love. Their vitality and genuineness, with the shy glances and guileless expressions communicated the honesty of small town life. The supporting actors also contributed to the reality of this quaint town. The mothers of Emily and George, Mrs. Webb (Maaike van Woerden) and Mrs. Gibbs (Emily Dawes), exemplified old-fashioned housewives. Their upright posture and the obvious difference between strict words of advice and the endearing qualms of mothers engendered the idea of community, that everyone in Grover's Corners is part of one family.

Part of the ingenuity of Our Town is the minimal set and props. The scenery is sparse, and when a character engages in an activity or a chore, he or she pantomimes it, instead of using a prop. Every actor and actress's gestures carried a weight with them as they carried objects or opened doors. In the Webb and Gibbs households, although the set was only tables and chairs, the actors created an entire world with their hands, as they deftly opened cabinets and set utensils down, and then picked them up exactly where they left them. The lighting and sound also followed this pattern. Slight ambiances provided the needed change in the day, while the sound cues came in at exactly the right time. As a whole, the props and technical aspects of Our Town aided to the straightforward nature of the show.

James Madison High School's Our Town's simplistic elegance and clarity of mindset and message imprints a stunning image on the mind of the audience. The beautiful contrast between the plateau of a pristine wedding, and the heart-wrenching grief experienced while kneeling at the grave of a loved one encapsulates the message of Thornton Wilder's play: life is temporary, and no one on earth understands the fleeting gifts of everyday life until they are gone.

Elizabeth Coo
Westfield High School
Submitted for publication to Hawk Talk

"We all know that something is eternal. And it ain't houses and it ain't names, and it ain't earth, and it ain't even the stars . . . everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings." James Madison High School's production of Our Town poignantly acknowledged the timeless moments of daily life that often pass by unnoticed.

Our Town is a complex show that praises the simple things. Written by Thornton Wilder in 1938, the show went on the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1989 Tony for Best Revival. Famously performed without a set, few props, and a great deal of pantomiming, Our Town is a bare-boned feast for audience's imaginations.

Set as a play within a play, the show opens as the cast of a typical 1930's theatre silently bustle onto the stage, getting ready for their production about an average town during the years 1901 to 1913. The Stage Manager, who frequently breaks the fourth wall and acts as a narrator throughout, introduces the audience to "Our Town," called Grover's Corners, and its inhabitants. Divided into three acts (Daily Life, Love & Marriage, and Death & Dying), Our Town is an emotionally spellbinding work that uses forgettable, everyday life experiences to ponder what it really means to live.

In order for the audience to "see" a town that was not really there, it was crucial that the entire cast pantomimed a clear and consistent picture. From remembering to open and close doors, to the reaction of throwing a ball into a baseball mitt, to where puddles are on the ground, the cast members drew the audience into their own fantasy space with such effectiveness that an established set would have been overkill.

The Stage Manager is the glue that holds the entire show together, and junior Mitch Coomer immersed himself in the omniscient character, easily weaving in and out of the action onstage, while keeping the storyline moving. In the third act, he shared the reigns of narration with Caroline Campbell, who managed Emily Webb's maturity and human insight with a heart-wrenching sweetness and grace.

Matthew Lansdell gave a standout performance as the adorably awkward adolescent and later cocky and earnest man, George Gibbs. His dynamic with Campbell made scenes between George and Emily especially endearing, specifically when they first admit they are "fond" of each other over a pair of strawberry ice cream sodas.

Though the entire concept of the show is to have as little tech as possible, what subtle elements it did have worked cohesively to keep the focus on the meaningful characters and story. Thoughtful touches by the set team, such as a callboard with a sign in sheet, transformed the back wall to look like an empty 1930's theatre. Impeccably timed sound cues, including the clop of hooves and clink of milk glasses, enhanced the pantomime by engaging the audience's other senses.

James Madison High School's production of Our Town was not a story about death and dying, but a touching performance that valued the lasting significance of an interaction between husband and wife, father and son, neighbor and neighbor, human and human.