Our Town
at Beth Tfiloh

Reviewed on November 12, 2019

NameSchoolPublication/Broadcasts
Perry Hall
Maryland Theatre Guide
Perry Hall
The Gateway
Indian Creek
The Tribruin



Nick Hamilton
Perry Hall

Submitted for publication to Maryland Theatre Guide

In the state of New Hampshire lies a normal, little town atop a hill called Grover's Corners, where day-to-day living is nothing short of predictable. People live, people love, and people die. George and Emily are no exception to these rules as they strive to love and understand each other in their tight-knit community. Watch this little town hit the big stage in Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School's production of "Our Town."

Written in 1938 by American playwright Thornton Wilder, "Our Town" is a metatheatrical, three-act play set in Grover's Corners, a fictional town in New Hampshire. The story follows the lives of its citizens, specifically George Gibbs and Emily Webb, between 1901 and 1913 to discuss universal themes of life, love, and death. This drama uses these omnipresent subjects to represent a small town in the world, one that could exist at any time or any place.

The Beth Tfiloh performance heralded an extremely enjoyable show in which the emotional intensity of the actors secured its success. Every member of the small, 14-person cast developed a unique and distinctive character that allured the audience and enabled them to feel immersed in the community. The authenticity of the performers gave this drama many layers which deepened the spectators' appreciation of the play.

Olivia LaFiandra stole the show as the Stage Manager, narrating and manipulating the story to her will. Her phenomenal stage presence was only enhanced as she transformed into other characters within the story and made each their own. Coby Ziv and Gabi Dondes, who played George and Emily, respectively, charmed the audience with their chemistry and individual performances. The two pulled off their corresponding arcs exceptionally well, displaying a wide range of emotions while never decreasing in energy.

Chaim Bell and Shira Seaman (Mr. and Mrs. Webb) and Josh Adelstein, along with Isabelle Alperovich (Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs) shepherded diversity into the show. The two couples presented unique family dynamics that made the performance so interesting to take note of. Featured actors and actresses of the show brought a new element of comedy that often had the audience roaring. Notable performances included Michael Bitman as Professor Willard and Caleb Gitlitz as the Constable.

The BT Stagecraft Classes did an amazing job constructing a simple, yet elegant set that was appropriate for the script. While costumes sometimes seemed out of place in certain scenes, all characters appeared congruous to the time period. A major highlight of this production was the fantastic Live Foley sound effects, which were produced in real time on stage using various instruments and objects. Alana Reid and company partnered a keen sense of timing with coordinated microphone coverage to allow the production to run very smoothly.

Beth Tfiloh's production of the award-winning, classic "Our Town" was an awesomely moving performance of raw energy and comedy that was a joy to watch.

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Brian Kraft
Perry Hall

Submitted for publication to The Gateway

Life is quiet for the citizens of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, but the action never stops once the lights come up on the small town. Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School's production of "Our Town" invites audience members into the everyday lives of a small town where the trials and tribulations brought upon by marriage and death help viewers develop a new appreciation for life's smallest moments.

Written by Thornton Wilder, "Our Town" was first performed at the McCarter Theatre in 1938. Becoming one of the most popular and traditional plays in American theatre, it would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play spans twelve years and is divided into three acts, each of which explores transitions through the human life cycle, including everyday life, marriage, and death.

Centralizing the plot were love interests Emily Webb (played by Gabi Dondes) and George Gibbs (played by Coby Ziv) who accurately portrayed the experience of young love and all of the awkwardness that comes along with it. Webb showed much versatility and passion in her acting, from her attempts to prove herself pretty enough to find love to her emotional and breathtaking performance in the closing act of the play as she relived the day of her twelfth birthday after her tragic death. Playing her counterpart was Coby Ziv as George Gibbs, who brought playfully naïve emotions to his character and delivered an energetic performance through the entirety of the play. The two had an undeniable chemistry and made a believable pair of lovebirds.

Moving the plot along was Olivia LaFiandra, who played the Stage Manager. A constant presence on the stage, she effortlessly delivered each of the many monologues she had and formed an instant bond with her cast and the audience, breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the audience as each event unfolded.

Shira Seaman (Mrs. Webb) and Chaim Bell (Mr. Webb) played the parents of Emily, who helped her work past the kinks of young love and motivated her in each of her endeavors. Isabelle Alperovich and Josh Adelstein as Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs brought a strict portrayal of parents to their performances as they longed for George to remain at home on the days counting down to his marriage. The two families intertwined several times throughout the play and, often times, brought comic relief to the many serious moments.

Following the traditions of the play, the technical crew provided a minimal set, which allowed the audience to use their imaginations on the look of the town based on the descriptions provided by the Stage Manager. The actors pantomimed their way through scenes, sound effects were provided live on stage by the actors, and the lighting, designed by Eliav Hamburger, was aesthetically stunning and appropriate.

Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School's production of "Our Town" brought forth many emotions from actors and audience alike and reminded us all that "the most boring day of your life" can be extremely significant.

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Ava Rouse
Indian Creek

Submitted for publication to The Tribruin

Beth Tfiloh's performance of "Our Town" took viewers through a multitude of emotions as they recounted the fictional lives of small-town characters.

The meta-theatrical play by Thorton Wilder starts out in the small town of Grover's Corners in the year 1901. Throughout the first act, the audience is introduced to all the members of the town to get a sense of "Daily Life." It also sets the stage with the love story that plays out in the second act, fittingly titled "Love and Marriage". After that, the audience is taken to the end of the line, with the third act "Death and Eternity".

Beth Tfiloh put on a classic and period-specific show, full of talented actors and awe-inspiring technical components. Throughout the entirety of the performance, the actors remained engaged and energetic, allowing viewers to become enthralled in the events of Grover's Corner.

The leads in the production shone through, due to their purposeful and direct line delivery and confident stage presence. Gabi Dondes (Emily Webb) had fantastic mannerisms that fit perfectly with her character. She never missed a beat and was always deeply in character when on stage. Olivia LaFiandra (Stage Manager) gave impressively long monologues throughout the entirety of the production with ease and single-handedly kept the pacing of the show. Her calm demeanor played well and made the audience recognize her obvious acting talent.

The supporting cast became an integral part of this production. From their constant energy to their skilled pantomiming, they quickly became a very noticeable group. Isabelle Alperovich (Mrs. Gibbs) used time-period appropriate acting choices, even speaking in a tone fitting to her character. Her parallel of sorts was Shira Seaman (Mrs. Webb), who also played her role as a housewife perfectly. Seaman stood out as a strong pantomimer with her impressively accurate dishwashing skills.

The technical components at Beth Tfiloh were truly integral to their production. The set design, crafted by the production and stagecraft classes, was striking. They constructed inspired house designs, even including roofs and windows. Another impressive technical aspect was the costume design by Shira Seaman, which was perfectly fit to not only the period but to each character's individual personality. Along with acting and designing costumes, Seaman also masterminded the makeup and hair design. The use of large bouffant-style wigs brought attention to the beauty standards for women at the time, even for those in rural America.

All in all, the culmination of stellar acting talent, spot-on technical components, and high energy made Beth Tfiloh's production of "Our Town" an historically accurate and wonderfully entertaining show.

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