As theater companies began announcing their first live productions since the outbreak of COVID, I read a lament of “not another Our Town,” by a millennial theater professional whose perspective I often respect. I cringed. I love Our Town, and I always have, and while there are a number of classic plays that I think should be retired, I did not want that to be true of Our Town. I believed (and still do) that it is relevant, especially under thoughtful direction.
Stevie Walker-Webb’s modern production at Baltimore Center Stage focused on the timelessness of the relationships while celebrating a particular community, just as Wilder did when he wrote the play. It was an Our Town for this town, as every cast member had “ties to Baltimore” (a claim also boasted by the Shakespeare Theatre Company of their production earlier this year in Washington, DC). Several of...
