Our Town : A Play in Three Acts, Acting Edition (original 1938; edition 1939)

This three act play depicts everyday and ordinary life in a small New Hampshire town called Grover's Corners between the years 1901 -1913. The Stage Manager narrates the story to the audience, as well as interacts with the actors. I remember seeing Thornton Wilder's play acted out on stage many years ago. It's a very easy-to-read text which all of a sudden surprises you with some really profound ideas. Ordinary life is actually quite extraordinary...As the stages of life are cycled through, the question is asked, "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? A book that offers something for younger (adult) readers and older alike; I think middle school and high school students would enjoy reading this aloud. ( )

Yyyyyyyeahhhhh, so this is pretty much the play version of a Norman Rockwell painting, right? I mean...terribly sentimental and conservative and folksy? Is there something more in his other plays? I should have read Skin of our Teeth, I heard there was a dinosaur.

I can't remember anything I've read where I felt an author was trying this hard not to startle his audience. This is drama for the rest home.

Two stars instead of one because fine, I'm not heartless, there were some sweet moments. But yeesh...that don't make this no bullshit. Bring back Eugene O'Neill.

Never mind: one star instead of two because the more I think about this play, the more I hate it. ( )

Set in the 1910s, the play Our Town, depicts a small town at the cusp of the industrial revolution. Wilder is innovative in his use of the stage manager as a character/narrator in the play, and little scenery. He also creates characters that have died but are still involved in the play as onlookers.

Whie it is not a wildly exciting play, there is definitely an important message in the everday acts of the characters. Life is short and we should do our utmost to truly enjoy it! This sentiment alone makes it an enduring classic applicable to modern life.

Another aspect of the play that is important to note is the time period in which it is set. The setting provides readers/viewers with a picture of life before America was transformed into an urban/industrial nation. As time goes by, one wonders if the heart of Amerian society still rests with the yeoman farmer of Thomas Jefferson's vision for the United States. The play reminds of us of some of the benefits of a small rural community. ( )

Thornton Wilder’s sparse and simple play Our Town was first produced during the Great Depression (1938). In a set without any scenery beyond chairs and tables and in three short acts, Thornton Wilder creates an intimacy with the characters. This is probably due to the familiarity of the subject: life, love, and death in a small town. As an audience participant (or, in my case, a reader), I felt I became a part of the small town’s happenings, and the encouragement to enjoy the simplicity of life, the magic of love, and the reality of challenges becomes a poignant emotional journey.

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Great play about the foundation of everyday life in America. One thing I liked about the book was the character interactions among each other. I thought Wilder did an excellent job bringing out the basic conversations that people have with each other. For example how Mr. Gibbs talked to George about doing chores, Emily and Georges conversation on the walk home and the Parents talk to Emily and George before the wedding were a great look into how we deal with each other. One thing I did not necessarily like about the book is that it was very optimistic and withheld a lot of details about the dis-functions of a small town. Yes, Wilder did talk about death and the town drunk and how people dealt with that, but there is a lot more conflicts that take place; even in Grovers Corner that Wilder fails to mention. Overall, this play is an insightful play about everyday life. ( )