Harrison Sim, Nathan Chavez, and Haley Hensen

The three-act story takes place in the fictional town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913. The Stage Manager narrates life in the town through the everyday lives of its citizens. Our Town premiered in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1938 but quickly moved to Broadway and was honored that year with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Within two years, it was a major Hollywood movie.

Interestingly, in 1946, the Soviet Union prevented a production of the play in the Russian sector of occupied post-war Berlin "on the grounds that the drama is too depressing and could inspire a German suicide wave." While the play deals with issues of loss, alcoholism, and death, the play is anything but depressing. Without resorting to religion, it deals with issues of eternal life and the human inability to fully comprehend and appreciate the richness of life while it's being lived. Powerful stuff in a quaint New England setting.

I've seen the play, watched two of its movies multiple times, and read it more than once. It still gets to me. When I attended the play last week with my teenage daughter, she said, "You're not going to cry are you, Dad?" "Heavens no," I lied.

I was pretty confident going into the University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance's production of Our Town. You can't easily screw it up. It's quite sturdy in its language and sentiments. The only way to mess it up would be to make it fancy. I was also confident that it would hold up well 77 years after its debut.

The UNM group does an admirable job with the play. Director Gregory S. Moss, who is also an assistant professor in the department, has brought a light touch to his production. The presentation is straight-ahead, without gimmicks or excessive emotional display. The set is minimal, the acting plain (that's a compliment). He lets the words, the story, and the natural human drama unfold unencumbered by flash. He doesn't make a big deal of the choir director's alcoholism or even the grieving husband's graveside appearance.

The large cast of 25 works well as an ensemble. The performances are smooth and solid, which is necessary for the material. The magic of Our Town is that these are not exceptional people. They're you and they're me. And while the performances in the major roles of George Gibbs (Harrison Sim) and Emily Webb (Haley Henson) are strong, they don't topple the ensemble balance.

Nathan Chaves as the Stage Manager is homey, calm, and familiar as required. He's on stage when we arrive in the theater and he remains on stage through the two intermissions. On first impression, I thought Chavez might be young for the role, but indeed, he isn't. He does a commendable job with the role.

The costumes by Dorothy Baca are terrific. While the set is minimal, the costumes are detailed. Good choice on where to place the emphasis.

The Department is presenting a wonderful production of one of the great plays of the 20th century.

Our Town by Thornton Wilder is a UNM production directed by Gregory S. Moss. The production will be at Rodey Theatre in the Popejoy Complex through April 26, 2015. Performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for faculty and seniors, and $10 for staff and students. Tickets are available at all UNM ticket offices, online at unmtickets.com, or by calling 925-5858.

Photo: Pat Berrett

--Rob Spiegel