STAGE TUBE: Mo Rocca & David Cromer Discuss Why OUR TOWN is Everlasting

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In a recent CBS news special, stage vet Mo Rocca, (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) investigates why Our Town, the 1938 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Thornton Wilder about ordinary people living unextraordinary lives, still remains an audience favorite in an age where high action, technologically advanced drama and gossip dominates entertainment.

Along with David Cromer, director of the current Our Town revival at the Barrow Street Theatre Off-Broadway, Rocca investigates the show's staying power in the video clip below by introducing the piece to four "high-speed Twitter generation" teens and discussing their reactions to it following the performance. 

David Cromer's award-winning staging of Wilder's classic play made virtually every major ‘Best of the Year' list, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Time Out New York, Entertainment Weekly, The Gothamist and was named the "Best Show of the Year" by New York Magazine.

Our Town began performances February 17, 2009 and opened to rave reviews on February 26, 2009 at the downtown venue whose space has been completely redesigned for this production. The production was awarded the 2009 Lucille Lortel for Outstanding Play Revival and Direction, with Mr. Comer receiving the 2009 Obie Award for Outstanding Director. This current staging of Our Town became the longest-running production of the play in its 71-year history with its record-breaking 337th performance on December 16, 2009.

The current cast at The Barrow Street Theatre features (in alphabetical order) Robert Beitzel as Howie Newsome, Susan Bennett as Mrs. Soames, Kati Brazda as Mrs. Webb, Will Brill as Joe Crowell, Nathan Dame as Sam Craig, George Demas as Constable Warren, Jennifer Grace as Emily, Wilbur Edwin Henry as Professor Willard, Jake Horowitz as Wally Webb, Stephen Kunken as the ‘Stage Manager', Ronete Levenson as Rebecca Gibbs, Ben Livingston as Doc Gibbs, David Manis as Editor Webb, and Daniel Marcus as Simon Stimson James McMenamin as George, Lori Myers as Mrs. Gibbs, Jay Russell as Joe Stoddard, and Jason Yachanin as Si Crowell with Elizabeth Audley, Dana Jacks, Kathleen Peirce, Keith Perry, and Mark Shock.

Our Town is produced by Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Ted Snowdon, Eagle
Productions, Dena Hammerstein/Pam Pariseau, The Weinstein Company, and Burnt Umber Productions.

The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday- Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $69 & $49.50 and are available through SmartTix (212) 868.4444, www.smarttix.com, or at the Barrow Street Theatre box office (open at 1 p.m. daily). Student tickets at $20 are available on the day of performance only at the box office. For more information, visit www.ourtownoffbroadway.com or www.barrowstreettheatre.com.

 

 

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