By Sarah Bradford

Sarah Bradford writes: No talk of kings and queens, nor of heroes and dastardly villains — the Shaw Festival’s 2016 production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town places a spotlight on ordinary people in an extraordinary way. Director Molly Smith strips to its essence an American classic about life, love, and death.

Dr. Gibbs (Patrick Galligan) and Mrs. Gibbs (Catherine McGregor). Photos by David Cooper.

The audience is invited by the Stage Manager (Benedict Campbell) to observe the everyday lives of two middle class families, the Gibbs and the Webbs, living in a small town called Grover’s Corners. Throughout the first act (entitled “Daily Life”), we get a glimpse of two different family dynamics — as she looks after their children George (Charlie Gallant) and Rebecca (Tess Benger), stay-at-home wife and mother Mrs. Gibbs (Catherine McGregor) longs to coax her husband Dr. Gibbs (Patrick Galligan) into taking a break from his job to travel. Meanwhile Emily (Kate Besworth), daughter of Mr. and Mrs Webb (Patrick McManus and Jenny L. Wright), is a young, passionate scholar who befriends and eventually falls for George. What follows is a heartwarmingly simple tale of late-night choir practices, frivolous gossip, and a budding romance — all this culminating in a lesson about the urgency of truly living in each moment of our lives.

Mrs. Webb ( Jenny L. Wright), Mrs. Gibbs, (Catherine McGregor), Mrs. Soames (Sharry Flett) and Emily Webb (Kate Besworth).

The simple, stunning set design (Ken MacDonald) is accompanied by a range of complimentary lighting (Kimberly Purtell) — this includes thin beams of light from below stage level and the warm glow of a full harvest moon. Sound designer James Smith sets the tone for each act with an instrumental accompaniment and engages the imaginations of the audience through various sound effects such as a train in the distance, the soft pitter-patter of rain, and the rapping of cutlery as it is placed on a table. The choice of having few props and blank white set pieces draws the audience’s attention to tiny details, underlining the play’s message about the importance of the little things — something that Emily Webb must come to terms with in the last act.

Emily Webb (Kate Besworth) and George Gibbs (Charlie Gallant).

If there is one actor I can give honourable mention to it is Besworth. She infuses her role with the raw passion and emotion that comes with a character like Emily — a driven and sophisticated yet quirky and passionate young woman. Her final monologue in the third act tugs on our heartstrings, as well as our tear ducts.

Smith directs a breathtaking production of Our Town that is both thought-provoking and exquisitely staged — a must-see in the Shaw Festival’s 2016 season.