theater

Shotgun Players visits “Our Town”

1418836403ourtown-8.jpgAll’s well in Shotgun Players’ Our Town

We know its longitude and latitude, its population and its ethnic makeup, but the New Hampshire town of Grover’s Corners doesn’t exist.  Nonetheless it’s one of the most famous small towns in America.

That’s because it’s the setting of Thornton Wilder’s groundbreaking and iconic play, Our Town.

I’ve taught Our Town to college prep seniors, and I’ve seen it numerous times, most notably at A.C.T. starring a then-unknown, teen-aged Annette Bening as Emily and Peter Donat as the Stage Manager, but I’ve never seen a more satisfying, engaging production than the one here and now, at Shotgun Players in Berkeley.

Shotgun can get offbeat at holiday time, staging what can seem to be anti-holiday fare (I’m not complaining).  It may appear that this year’s choice breaks with that tradition, but Our Town was in its time, 1938, a radical play, and, concluding as it does in a graveyard, it has no sort of conventional happy ending.

The surprise of the Shotgun production is that Wilder’s methods can still startle  us.  In a move he would likely have approved, Shotgun seats many of its patrons onstage, and it shifts many more of the players than the original playscript did into the audience, so you may be surprised when the person sitting next to you speaks out, gets up, and joins the cast.

The purpose, as the production’s canny director, Susannah Martin, has said, is to make us feel we are really citizens of Grover’s Corners, which is meant to be, after all, our town, and her choices work well.  On opening night you could feel patrons bond with the players. encouraged by the wonderful sound design of the indie rock duo, Abigail Nessen Bengson and Shaun Bengson, who give us a violin trio, hymns, arias and birdsong.

The production is enhanced by the talents of Nina Ball (set design), Heather Basarab (lighting), Christine Crook (costumes) and many others.

The actors are both adept and, well…neighborly.  The Bay Area has a tradition of casting women as the Stage Manager.  SF Playhouse began it with Wanda McCaddon, and Berkeley Rep followed suit with Barbara Oliver.  Shotgun continues the tradition in a surprising way by choosing young, blonde Madeline H.D. Brown for the part.  (Dressed like Ellen DeGeneris, is she meant to suggest an LGBT possibility for the role?)  In any case, with her thoughtful delivery and cool compassion, she shines.  Josh Schell is an awkwardly charming George Gibbs, and El Beh makes Emily Webb interestingly edgy.  I very much liked how Christine Macomber turned Professor Willard’s lecture into sly comedy, and as Mr. Webb Don Wood has a delightfully funny pre-wedding chat with his future son-in-law.  Christopher W. White turns the small role of Simon Stimson into a major presence.  Molly Noble, Michelle Talagrow, Tim Kniffin, Karen Offereins, Sam Jackson, Valerie Fachan, Wiley Naman Strasser and Eli Wirtschafter round out a capable cast.

Our Town plays at the Ashby Stage until January 25th,  For tickets/information call 841-6500 or visit www.shotgunplayers.org.

–ROBERT HALL