Our Towns

I didn't know that Paul Newman had done Our Town until I ran across a dvd of it at the library. I had a vague memory of reading the play in high school and not liking it, but (1) I've found that many things I'd loved in high school didn't age well, and the converse has also been true, (2) I've read a few other Thornton Wilder plays since then and liked them very much, and (3) it was Paul Newman, after all. So I picked it up.

When I did, I noticed that there were two other recorded versions of the play there as well:  a Hal Holbrook, Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor version from 1977, and a  Spalding Gray, Frances Conroy, Penelope Ann Miller, and Eric Stolz version from 1989. I thought about watching all three of them, but didn't know if I would be up for that, so I just went for the PN.

Paul was 78 tears old when he did this, and only had five more years to live. And he looked and sounded very frail, but I wasn't sure how much of that was acting. As you'd guess, he was excellent. And the Stage Manager isn't a role that looks easy to perform. But the big surprise for me was Jane Curtain. She was so good. Great New Hampshire accent, too. 

So I have to say that I really enjoyed this play, and might even have to go back and look at the other two versions from the library just to get a fuller sense of it. And /or I may watch the Paul Newman version again.

In the course of poking around the internet for information on the play, I also found out that there was another Paul Newman version, and get this: (1) it's a musical version of the play, (2) Paul Newman is George Gibbs in this version, and (3) Frank Sinatra is the Stage Manager. Frank Sinatra, man! Unfortunately it doesn't look like this one is available anywhere, but you can find some of the songs for it on The You Tub: "Our Town," "The Impatient Years," "Love and Marriage," and "Look to Your Heart." All of which are worth listening to, I think.

I also found out--courtesy of a review on IMDb--that (1) Paul Newman sings this time around, (2) Thornton Wilder was not happy about this version, and (3) it shows--or, at least, was once shown--at the Museum of Broadcasting in Manhattan. Hmm, I'll be going back to New York City later this year . . . .