Paul Newman's OUR TOWN

I have it on tape actually. I recorded it when it first aired on Showtime. The cast/production is good, but I am not fond of how it was filmed. It was filmed in an empty theatre.. much like the 'Cats' video, and so you go get the feeling of the cast playing to an audience.. but without the audience reavction.. if that makes sense. And the Stage Manager's monologues I found to be somewhat jarring. You have the cast ignoring the camera.. then all of a sudden, you have the Stage Manager playing directly to the camera. And naturally, it is missing curtain calls, which cheesey as it may be, tend to be my favorite part of shows.

I saw this production when it was on stage. I had to stand in the bitter cold weather one January morning to get a standing room ticket, but really liked the production. I felt that Emily was weak and George looked more like a quarterback than a high school baseball player, but Wilder's prose sounded magnificent and the last act was as touching as ever.

However, I am a great fan of the play. It's one of the staples in my classroom and I've directed three productions of it, playing George in yet another. I guess you could say, Grover's Corners is really a part of my life.

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