Our Town

I was in a school performance of "Our Town" probably back in 9th grade, when we lived in Belgium. I played the hero's little sister, despite my efforts to win a more important part. (The director diplomatically praised the "mature and sophisticated" voice I was using, in vain, to thwart the inevitable casting based on physical appearance, and then asked me to use a voice more suited to the part he was going to give me.) I remember pretty much word for word the breakfast scene which was my claim to fame -- including another student's suggestion for an X-rated change to my last line in the scene (Thornton's words: "Mama, do you know what I love best in the world, do you? Money.").

And I remember literally nothing else of the play, including the second scene in which "my" character appears. I am quite sure I never saw the play before or since, until last night.

One of the many things I did not remember about the play was that it was set in New Hampshire. I'd been to Vermont as a kid, but not New Hampshire, so it wouldn't have meant much to me. I've learned about New Hampshire since. Probably my introduction was when I lived in Boston. I went up to Franconia Notch for a hiking/backpacking trip with some friends before law school, then went on maybe 2-3 hiking trips to Mt. Monadnock during law school with folks from my dorm. Now my connections with the state seem to deepen every year, as my parents have lived in New Hampshire for 7+ years, my brother married into a family with strong New Hampshire ties, and in fact he and his family are themselves planning to move to New Hampshire soon.

So last night, watching Our Town at the Barrow Theatre in Manhattan, it was all I could to sit with a big grin instead of standing up and cheering whenever they mentioned names of places I know in New Hampshire: Lake Winnipesaukee, Conway, North Conway, Petersborough, Mount Monadnock....

I found the play very moving, and it's probably just as well that I didn't see it until now. The themes of love and loss and hope resonate more deeply now than they would have back in the day. One of the things that was particularly powerful about this particular production was the contrast between the starkly simple set most of the time (bare-bones with the bones showing, and most details simply mimed under bare bulbs) and the highly realistic, warm and inviting day that Emily Webb Gibbs goes back to relive before settling down to her death. They pulled out all the stops, providing that scene with everything from bright, full-spectrum light through snow-flecked windows, up to and including the sizzle and smell of bacon being fried up. All to bring home the message of Love one another & live fully in the moment. Yes, that's about right.