SANDY — Our Town at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy is a play written by Thornton Wilder, widely considered to be one of the greatest American playwrights. Our Town is a glimpse into the goings on of a small New Hampshire town called Grover’s Corners. This play features a wide variety of characters and isn’t structured as a typical two-act play. Instead, there are two intermissions between the slightly-shorter-than-average three acts. A visually stunning exploration of family, love, and life eternal, this production of Our Town is a masterclass in simple choices making an immense impact.
Editor’s Note: This reviewer attended a performance on Wednesday, July 8th. This show is double cast with alternating actors on Mon, Wed, Fri & Tues, Thurs, Sat. This review covers the Mon, Wed, Fri cast.
Connecting to the theme of powerful simplicity, the scenic design by Jenn Taylor is phenomenally subtle. The set has layers to stand on and to walk through, bringing vertical and horizontal dimension to the smaller stage of the Beehive theatre. These layers, along with the illuminated slats of the floor boards, reflect the rustic patchwork of the script of Our Town. Additionally, the most common set pieces are a large collection of mismatched wooden chairs that accompany each character. The eclectic set of such a common household object engages audiences in thinking about their own homes, and the everyday places that we all spend our lives.
Director Dave Tinney chooses to have the actors mime their actions instead of using props. This choice requires audiences to practice their sense of make believe a little more than usual, even in a theatre show, but is met with a great payoff by the end. The result of this choice is that the focus of the action onstage is the characters themselves, as well as the simple, rustic set. In a sense, this choice marvelously captures the essence of rural New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century: simple, spacious, and yet, full of movement.
Assisting the set with creating the world of Grover’s Corners is the intricate sound design by Griffin McMullin. In lieu of props, the sound design fills in much of the context clues throughout the show. Additionally, the coordination between the sound cues and the actors is a feat in this production, as every cue is precisely synchronized. Again, Tinney’s wise decision to not have actors fumble over the vast volume of props that would realistically comprise this town results in the actors wisely spending their energy embodying the nuanced characters of the play.
Josh Richardson as the semi-omniscient narrator tastefully balances leading the stage and allowing other actors to be in the spotlight. While this may seem like a basic of theatrical acting, this can be a difficult line to walk with such a prominent character across the three acts. Richardson’s distinctly kind and powerful voice grounds the audience in the world and time period of Our Town.
Relating to voices, the dialect work of all the performers is extremely effortless across the board, making it seem that the ensemble has grown up together their whole lives! Dialect coach Brett Myers adeptly finds the sweet spot of northern 20th century speech that suits the entire company.
Timothy Quesenberry as George and Becca Ashton as Emily are highlights of the entire production. The pair dazzles in their ability to portray their characters over a decade of time, aging from young teenagers all the way to adults in their 30s. Quesenberry charms the stage with notable boy-next-door swagger. He dynamically represents larger-than-life emotions of youth, as well as the more subtle, every day feelings of us all. Across from him, Ashton gives a proper and naive portrayal of Emily that is forced to grow in emotional maturity by the end of the play. Ashton is compelling, and her earnestness complements Quesenberry’s down-to-earth charisma, providing the audience with an engaging pair of characters to follow throughout the three acts. The pair’s ability to portray youth only shows their mature skill level as seasoned performers.
With so many actors comprising this powerful production, it is difficult to effectively convey the holistic performances they each deliver. However, Jason Andrew Hackney stands out from the bunch with his detailed portrayal of drunk choir conductor, Simon Stimson. Hackney leads the ensemble with his hilarious comedic timing and tactfully somber line deliveries. Hackney’s dynamic portrayal is found in the entire cast, creating an intensely thoughtful and emotionally impactful evening of theatre. Tinney’s direction pairs with Wilder’s writing in a way that makes the script soar and the actors skillfully chameleon into their characters.
Overall, Our Town is an understated triumph at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy. As Tinney describes in his director’s note, Our Town is “an invitation for audiences to recognize the extraordinary value in life’s smallest moments.” Take a breath and appreciate the every-day by going to see this fantastic production of Our Town soon.
SHOW INFO: Our Town at Hale Centre Theatre plays until October 24th on the Beehive stage, (9900 Monroe St, Sandy, UT 84070). Tickets range from $31-$71. For more information, please visit their website: hct.org.
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