Review: OUR TOWN at Mother Road Theatre

Our Town by Thorton Wilder is a classic American play that chronicles the lives of the residents of Grover's Corners, a fictional American town. Wilder's play uses metatheatrical devices such as having the narrator (Kristen Hansen as the Stage Manager) directly address the audience, answer questions from the audience, and fill in playing some of the roles. The play is generally performed on a mostly bare stage with the actors miming daily actions rather than using props. Mother Road Theatre Company's production of Our Town includes these conceits while adding its own twists. The directors of Our Town, Vic Browder and Colin Jones, stated that they were "intrigued by the challenge" of working on Our Town and "decided to make it entirely our own Our Town." This desire to create something unique can be seen from the moment the audience steps into MTS' Black Box Theatre. The theater itself is painted to mimic space, emphasizing the fact that every person on earth is connected in some way.

The cast of Our Town does an admirable job with the play, creating a production that had the audience entertained throughout. Hansen as the Stage Manager keeps the audience's attention while providing most of the night's laughs with her delivery. Clifton Chadwick gives a wonderful performance as Dr. Gibbs, the town doctor. Angela Littleton as Mrs. Webb and Lee Kitts as Mrs. Gibbs help to guide the audience through the lives of the two main families in Our Town.

Our Town runs through October 21 at MTS Black Box on 6320 Domingo Road NE. Tickets can be purchased at motherroad.org or by calling 505-243-0596 for reservations.

Image credit: Mother Road Theatre