A funny thing happens when you sit down to watch an old play like Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town. Sure, all the characters are familiar, and maybe you have fond memories of productions past. But each time you sit to watch again — and you will watch this one, again and again, as long as it continues to find the stage — the characters take on nuances you hadn’t seen before.
All of a sudden, you recognize something that was always there but that you had taken for granted. Maybe you didn’t need to see it until just this moment, who knows? But the play takes on a new urgency before your very eyes. And you are grateful all over again for getting to see it.
And yes, you’re glad you brought the hankie because, once again, you needed it.
Wilder’s deceptively simple portrait of small-town life in New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century, remote from us in so many ways, continues to draw us in, and it’s not necessarily nostalgia for the past — which, truth be known, was always messier than we remember. It’s our recognition of the humanity his characters share with us. Have shared, and always will share.
This production’s director, American Shakespeare Center veteran K.P. Powell, knows how the intimacy of the Blackfriars Playhouse foregrounds the people of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and he brings out the best in his ensemble here. Led by Ronald Román-Meléndez as the dour Stage Manager, the cast gives us days in the life, and death, of a small town, with an eye that is clear; not bright, not dark, just clear. And that’s what’s called for.
A bare stage is always a necessity for this show; Wilder called for it, and it not only foregrounds the humanity of his characters, it gives us a glimpse of the spontaneous creativity you find in every theatrical troupe, from time immemorial. Tall ladders, long-useless doors, crates, and discarded furniture are all in the service of the story. The romance between young George Gibbs and the proverbial girl next door, Emily Webb, blossoms here as it always does, with Nick Ericksen and Isabel Sanchez giving us the warmth and occasional bouts of tension that relationships always bring with them. The mutual panic they feel on their wedding day, as family members reassure them, remains so familiar — because no matter when you get married, there’s always that realization that nothing will ever be the same.
As Mrs. Gibbs, Summer England bears witness to how women in small towns have often dreamed of seeing the world beyond the next county; this time, I found myself pulling for her to finally persuade her husband, Dr. Gibbs (Christopher Seiler, ever steady at the helm), to take a long vacation, and maybe even take a boat to Paris. (What happened to that dream? We find out in the play’s third act, but if you sneeze you miss it.)
As Mrs. Webb, Emily’s mother, Morgan Rose Ford is the very picture of pragmatism, telling her daughter how foolish it is to worry about her looks and refusing to fall into the traditional fawning we have always associated with adults (nonsense like “Oh, she’s so cute!” – thankfully, never heard on this stage). And Aidan O’Reilly provides the stolid local pillar of society Mr. Webb, whose sojourn to Hamilton, New York, renders him a truly worldly person indeed.
The supporting cast is often where my own personal epiphanies occur, and here is no exception. Hannah Nguyen’s turn as Rebecca Gibbs, George’s kid sister, is especially endearing, rattling off that long-winded, whimsical mailing address that always concludes with “The Mind of God.” And she transitions to any number of other locals with ease. Geoffrey Warren Barnes II charms you as Howie Newsome, whose horse and wagon, while invisible, can always be relied upon to bring the day’s supply of milk.
Each incarnation of Our Town has its moments; what truly sticks with me this time is Angela Iannone’s turn as Simon Stimson, the long-suffering choir director at one of the local churches. Frustrated, with a hair-trigger temper, her Stimson is the one whose personal demons prove invincible; a simple hand gesture, refusing help or even conversation, speaks volumes. And when the demons finally take their toll, Iannone delivers Stimson’s reflections on life so vividly that they wipe out any naive notions you might have about small-town life. We know people like this, we want to reach out and help them; but Stimson, like so many before and since, onstage and off, is having none of it.
It’s easy to forget that Wilder got annoyed when he saw Our Town characterized as romantic and cheerful. He knew the nostalgic impulse, but as the Stimson character reminds us, he wasn’t keen on glossing over life’s rough spots; he preferred the Stage Manager to be removed emotionally from the people whose lives he choreographed. As with Jacques’ “Seven Ages of Man” speech in As You Like It — the ASC’s other play in this summer’s repertory — it really doesn’t pay to reduce Wilder’s play to some glitter-encrusted greeting card.
The musical selections for this show are sharp, in unexpected ways; Christopher Seiler leads off with a rousing version of Ryan Adams’ “To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High),” and Hannah Nguyen renders Kimberly Perry’s “If I Die Young,” each song with its own touch of melancholy. Offsetting them with a healthy dose of youthful exuberance, Nick Erickson leads the crowd in a rousing version of the Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” practically bouncing off the walls. Leading off the second act, and its emphasis on the conventions of marriage, Morgan Rose Ford gives us the always-snarky “Little Boxes,” with its hint of discontent. For the second intermission, which leads to the graveyard-themed third act, Ronald Román-Meléndez leads the ensemble in a finely harmonized “Spin the Wheel,” from the Arcane League of Legends series, embracing life and all its challenges.
Our Town is always a special show, full of surprises and quiet moments of reflection. And this summer’s American Shakespeare Center production has just the right combination of light and darkness to make it a great experience.
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including two 10-minute intermissions.
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town plays through August 8, 2026, in repertory with William Shakespeare’s As You Like It (to August 9), presented by American Shakespeare Center at the Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market Street, Staunton, VA. For tickets (starting at $39), call the box office at (540) 851-3400 or purchase them online. ASC also offers a Local Rush deal of 50% off tickets on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Learn more here.
Cast and artistic team credits for Our Town are online here.
The summer season program is online here.
SEE ALSO:
Mayhem and humor in ‘As You Like It’ at American Shakespeare Center (review by Andrew Walker White, June 17, 2026)
