“Our Town” Play Review

Marist cast of "Our Town" on stage on opening night of performances. Photo via Audrey Hansen

Marist College Theater debuted its rendition of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town, with a modern touch that gave new life to the iconic play.

The show ran in the Nelly Goletti Theater from Oct. 12 through Oct. 15 and was directed by Matt Andrews, Director of Theater at Marist.

Wilder’s “Our Town” follows the daily lives of two neighboring families, the Gibbs and the Webbs, who reside in the small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. The stage manager, played by Erica Kossman ‘24, narrates the events from a future perspective, speaking directly to the audience throughout the entire play. Both families live simply and traditionally for the time period, with a housewife, a working father and two children. Over 14 years, George Gibbs and Emily Webb fall in love and change the lives of those around them. The cast’s performances teach a worthwhile lesson about how humans live their everyday lives.

“Our Town” itself is a simple play on purpose, so Andrews’ straightforward approach is expected; he was able to make it charming and engaging nonetheless. To engage the dominantly young adult audience at Marist, they put a modern spin on design elements. The play takes place in the early 1900s; however, the costumes didn’t take us back 100 years but kept us in the present day. The costumes were coordinated by Grace Odette Obee, wardrobe manager Ainsley Burns ‘24, and costume assistants Sara Martin ‘26 and Dányelle Strawberry ‘26. The costumes remained conservative but on trend for adults of today. The women wore flowy, floral dresses, while the men mostly wore casual jeans and t-shirts. This was a smart design choice—keeping the play visually interesting while also making it easily accessible to the audience at hand.

One of Thornton’s main thematic intentions of the play is confronting our pasts in the face of death. Andrews designed the set by creating two houses with two floors, a soda shop bar and a cemetery with only a couple of chairs and tables. With little blocking, or actors' movement directions in the script itself, it’s important to get creative.

The final act, nine years after Emily and George’s wedding, starts with the deceased people of Grover’s Corner sitting in chairs facing the audience. Instead of using more elaborate set devices, like graves, grass, and fog, to set the scene of a cemetery, the audience is forced to look directly into the living bodies of those who died. It’s a little creepy, but it worked well. Andrews uses the physical bodies as props to bring themes of confronting one’s past and present to the forefront. Other blocking choices, like having the actors move throughout the house, also makes that idea in your face—literally.

The actors put on a successful performance. John Sileo ‘24, who plays George Gibbs, one of the central characters of the play, nailed his performance. Gibbs's character is soft, sensitive and kind, but all that lives behind his somewhat nervous exterior. Sileo approached this role with total authenticity—watching him felt like interrupting someone’s real life. His relationship with Emily Webb, played by Laura Drinkwater ‘26, also successfully communicated this young, innocent love shared between two teenagers. They both showed fear and excitement through their subtle mannerisms in each interaction, making their relationship all the more wholesome.

Marist Theater’s production of “Our Town” was an expansive showcase of talent all across the board. The consistent design elements, clever blocking, and talented actors made the show an experience worth seeing.