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Our Town
Malvern Theatres Young Company
Malvern Festival Theatre
**** THE combination of a professional
creative team and a company of talented young actors works a treat once
again at Malvern Festival Theatre this week. It serves to bring the
best out of the young team and does credit to this thought-provoking and
at times moving classic by Thornton Wilder, one of America’s foremost
twentieth century playwrights. In a truly Brechtian style, we do not get drawn
emotionally into the characters and their situations for a sustained
period of time. The device of the Stage Manager, introducing the action
and intervening frequently to explain the situations and characters,
serves to distance us from the emotional life of the characters; he also
adds philosophical commentary and acts as a chorus to embody the
writer’s voice. The narrative explores the life of two families
in a small town in New Hampshire in three acts: in Act One we see George
Gibbs and Emily Webb as young teenagers in the midst of their school
years; in Act Two, they get married a few years later; in Act Three, a
few years later, we This production is very faithful to Wilder’s
original intentions and is visually excellent. The use of minimal props,
of mime, of clever lighting and simple but highly effective design
results in some very striking images. The wedding scene, the funeral
scene, and some of the night scenes were beautifully portrayed. Likewise the use of songs was highly evocative
and added to the moments when powerful emotive impressions were
required. The acting performances showed evidence of a team
very well directed and prepared. There are some talented young actors in
the cast: Jacob Buckley (Stage Manager), Saskia Nicholls (Emily), Toby
Burchell (George Gibbs), Toby Platt (Simon Stimson), Ben Mowbray (Dr
Gibbs), Lorna Rolinson (Mrs Webb), and Emily Henry (Mrs Soames) carried
particular conviction. Jacob Buckley has some very long speeches which
require great versatility and variety. He has a strong stage presence
and carried off the part very well. Sometimes one felt the writing of
his part by Wilder was excessive, but Jason delivered it very
effectively. His English accent, as a detached individual from
the action and characters in the story, made more sense than the fact
that the rest of the cast were split in adopting an American accent or
not for no obvious reason. Saskia Nicholls and Toby Burchell were
particularly effective in their portrayal of the cinema scene when they
found their love for each other. Toby Platt managed the drunkenness of
his character remarkably well, mimed effectively and achieved
considerable comic impact as well. Our Town
is a philosophical and reflective play. I wondered whether the dead in
Act Three seemed rather grim and depressed and might have been more
optimistic in the light of the Stage Manager’s words. ‘They’re waitin’
for something that they feel is comin’. Something important and great.
They are waitin’ for the eternal part in them to come out clear.’ Generally this is a fascinating and
thought-provoking play, beautifully designed and directed, acted with
great competence and occasional brilliance. It runs to Saturday, 13
August in Festival Theatre. Tim Crow 10-08-16
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are exploring death in the family and community – Emily dies in
childbirth, other members of family and neighbourhood have passed away
and mortality is explored.