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The theatre department of Foothill College with director Bruce McLeod at the helm has taken on Thornton Wilder’s second Pulitzer prize play, Our Town, a sweet simple story of life as it really is in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners in the early 1900s. Using a plain set with just a table and some chairs and a ladder, the story covers childhood, courtship, marriage and death in three acts. The story brings the folly, foibles, happiness and tragedy of everyday life to the top of the rim of existence and touches the imagination.
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Our Town is one of the basics offered in schools, but it is in adulthood when we can really appreciate the Wilder’s message.
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McLeod has gathered a group of fine actors that deliver his sensitive direction beautifully, involving the audience as part of the set in some of the scenes.
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Carla Befera as the stage manager is the glue that keeps everything together and moves everyone from one situation to another in a pleasant, amiable way. Peter Spoelstra as George and Samantha Rose as Emily give excellent performances as the teens who grow up and marry. The rest of the cast is solid and carries out the miming of all the action throughout each scene in a realistic manner.
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This is a well done production with enjoyable intimacy and humor, allowing us we can peel off our facades and see ourselves more honestly. Â
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‘Our Town’
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Lohman Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos
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Performances through: Nov. 20
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Reservations and information: (650 949-7360), or visit: www.foothill.edu/theatre/current.php.
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