“No curtain. No scenery.” This was Thornton Wilder’s simple set directions for his revolutionary, minimalistic production of “Our Town,” which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1938. During an era of elaborate sets and frivolous theatrics, Wilder’s style
“No curtain. No scenery.” This was Thornton Wilder’s simple set directions for his revolutionary, minimalistic production of “Our Town,” which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1938. During an era of elaborate sets and frivolous theatrics, Wilder’s style stood out as original, and “Our Town” became his greatest and best-known work as a playwright. The Aloha Performing Art Company’s production of “Our Town” opens at 7:30 p.m. today at the Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu and runs through May 3.
Often described as “the tragedy of time,” Wilder’s play continues to captivate audiences decades later. “Our Town” opens with the Stage Manager’s introduction to Grover’s Corners, a fictional town based in New Hampshire where Wilder often spent his summers.
The Stage Manager, played by Jerry Tracy, directly addresses the audience. The Stage Manager unconventionally assumes control of onstage direction, prompting actors, and signaling for scene changes.
“The stage manager is the narrator in the play,” said Tracy. “He speaks directly to the audience much of the time. It’s an American classic that’s set in Grover’s Corners, which is a fictional town. It’s in three acts. The first act shows one day in the life of the town and you meet the two main families which are the Webbs and the Gibsons. It brings you full circle of the human experience. I think it’s a snapshot of life and there’s no real judgments made or conclusions reached.”
The story takes place between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its people. It calls forth the idyllic life in a small town where the only community deviant is the town’s drunken choirmaster.
“It’s called ‘Our Town,’ which can be any town, anywhere,” said Felicity Johnson, director. “In fact, I have a poster hanging at the school where I work, and a Hawaiian grandpa came by and saw the poster. He asked me if it was Kainaliu. I thought that was rather cool because it could be Kainaliu. It’s meant to be all of us in our own town, going back to a time that was very simple and very peaceful. It’s what you would expect in a small town. Children going to school, dogs sleeping in the street, the choir practicing, and the gossip is that the choir director is drunk all the time.”
The remarkable simplicity of Wilder’s writing is evident, in that “Our Town” is still one of the most widely produced plays in the country. The drama celebrates the everyday existence of being human and encourages the audience to explore and appreciate the universal human experience.
In three acts, the audience experiences life, love and death, with the last act being especially poignant. Wilder conceptualizes death to express how people often fail to live fully and recognize life while they live it. He instructs the audience to stop and enjoy the moment — to recognize the value of each new day. He describes his play as “an attempt to find a value above all price for the smallest events in our daily life.”
“It is an authentic tale of American life,” said Mia Kriebl-Bruno, who plays Emily Webb. “It’s historical without being dry. You feel attached to the characters by the end of it. It is a play that will pull you along with the story. You will not be bored. You will be invested in these characters every moment they are on stage. You are going to feel like you are a part of their family.”
“It’s really well-written – beautiful words and beautiful phrases that stay with you,” said Johnson. “It’s all about life and what you go through when you grow older. It’s so moving and I love it. I found a great quote about the play today. It says ‘There are the stars — doing their old, old crisscross journeys in the sky.’ It makes you think about life and what it’s all about.”
Other cast and crew include Joel Michaelson, Karen Barry, Vincent Hicks, John Sucke, Renee Monell, Miles Lugo, Sofia Ribeiro, Sarah Crawford, David Fero, Dan Hoff, John Holliday, Oliver Kreibl-Bruno, Kahryn Mayer, Ariana Rose, Zea Levine, Jade Onaka, Kenya Gray, Kelsey Gray, Toni Reynolds, Paula Cornwell, Cameron Bailey Bram, Pamela Hicks, Alicia Hicks, Jeannie Kutsunai and Barbara Masters. Also Annabelle Treacy, co-producer; Karen Barry, co-producer; Tiffany Kutsunai, assistant director; Gerald Lucena, set designer; Victor Lugo, master builder; Paula Cornwell, costumes; Toni Reynolds, props; Miguel Montez, sound designer; Jonathan Mayer, sound; Bob Gage, lighting designer; Justyn Toyama, master electrician; Cameron Bailey, house manager; Joel Michaelson, stage manager; Michelle Gray, concessions and makeup; Trish Rose, make-up and hair; and Kerry Matsumoto, box office.
The play runs through May 3 at the Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and young adults, and $10 for children younger than 18. To purchase tickets, call 322-9924 or visit apachawaii.org.
