Widely believed to be one of the greatest American plays ever written, Our Town depicts the lives of ordinary citizens in the fictional New Hampshire hamlet of Grover’s Corners, between the years 1901 and 1913.
It was an influence on Ann Patchett’s recent novel Tom Lake and was the subject of a cultural history by Howard Sherman titled Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century.
Joining Parsons in Our Town is Katie Holmes, returning to Broadway for the first time in over a decade.
In the production, directed by Kenny Leon, Parsons will play the role of Stage Manager, Deutch will play Emily Webb and Holmes will play Mrs. Webb.
They lead a cast of 28 actors, who also include Richard Thomas (The Waltons, To Kill a Mockingbird) as Mr. Webb, Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud, Hairspray Live!) as George Gibbs and Billy Eugene Jones (Purlie Victorious) as Dr. Gibbs.
The strictly limited engagement, directed as previously announced by Kenny Leon, will begin previews at the Barrymore Theatre on Tuesday, September 17 ahead of an opening on Thursday, October 10.
In a statement, Leon said: “Thornton Wilder’s Our Town—in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre.
I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of The Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet.”