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AMERICAN CLASSIC ON MGM+
Our Town is featured on the small screen in American Classic, a sharp new comedy series now streaming on MGM+ starring Kevin Kline, Laura Linney, Tony Shalhoub, Jane Alexander, and many more. The show follows a celebrated Broadway star (Kline) who retreats to his hometown after a spectacular public meltdown, only to discover his family’s beloved theater is on the brink of collapse. Determined to revive its former glory, he sets out to stage the quintessential American play, Our Town, sparking plenty of drama on stage and off. The series reveals a portrait of a lovable, deeply flawed family and the transformative power of making art together. American Classic comes from co-creators Michael Hoffman (Soapdish) and Bob Martin (Slings and Arrows).
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Spalding Gray as the Stage Manager at the 1988 production at Lincoln Center Theater, directed by Gregory Mosher. [Click to Enlarge]
About Our Town
The 2022 production at Dallas Theater Center, directed by Tatiana Pandiani. Photo by Imani Thomas.
Our Town explores the relationship between two young Grover’s Corners neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates in marriage. When Emily loses her life in childbirth, the circle of life portrayed in each of the three acts of Our Town–growing up, adulthood, and death–is fully realized.
Wilder offers a couple of chairs on a bare stage as the backdrop for an exploration of the universal human experience. The simple story of a love affair is constantly rediscovered because it asks timeless questions about the meaning of love, life and death. In the final moments of the play, the recently deceased Emily is granted the opportunity to revisit one day in her life, only to discover that she never fully appreciated all she possessed until she lost it. “Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you,” she says as she takes her place among the dead.
Bringing Our Town to His City: An Interview with Michel Hausmann
What inspired the creation of Our Town (Multilingual)? What made Thornton Wilder’s story the right fit for your company and community?
Michel Hausmann: Being an immigrant has its perks. For one, I didn’t have to read Our Town in high school like everyone else. I encountered it in my 30s and was blown away. Seriously, it might be the best play I’ve ever read. It stuck with me, and I knew I wanted to do something with it. But how do you bring something new to a play that’s been around, loved, and produced for over 80 years? Especially when there have been some spectacular versions, like Gregory Mosher’s at Lincoln Center and Cromer’s recent revival.
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License Our Town
Amateur Productions in the USA, Puerto Rico and Commonwealth Countries:
Concord Theatricals
All Professional Productions; Amateur Productions outside the USA and Commonwealth Countries:
Alan Brodie Representation Ltd.
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