BY DARRELL HALEN

In the early 1970s, Eleanor Burton was preparing to take the stage in a local production of the play “Our Town.”
She had memorized her lines for the role of Mrs. Gibbs. But because the cast couldn’t keep anyone to perform the heavy role of the stage manager – the show’s narrator – the production never got off the ground.

“Everyone who started, for one reason or another, just dropped the role,” recalled Burton, now a Pelham School Board member. “We were never able to pull it together.”

Now, Burton is getting her chance to finally appear in “Our Town,” albeit in a much smaller role. The show will be performed by Pelham High School’s drama club.

Burton will say one line as the character known as the lady in the balcony.

Written by Thornton Wilder, this story of love, life and death takes place in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and begins in 1901.

“I suppose the play is typical of what small communities were like during that era,” Burton said.

George Gibbs, played by Jon Mirabito, marries his neighbor and schoolmate, Emily Webb, played by Brandee Peglow.

“It’s entertaining,” said freshman Colin Barry who plays Emily’s father. “It has everything in it – happiness, sadness, there’s humor.”

Peglow, along with Michelle Burke, who plays Mrs. Gibbs, and another girl saw a performance of “Our Town” in Dracut, Mass., two years ago.

“I was absolutely floored,” said Burke during a recent rehearsal. “It was really good.”

Because this show was going to be the last one for seniors, their desire to perform “Our Town” was a big factor when selecting which show to produce, said teacher Wendy Dorval, the club’s advisor.

“This is their last year,” Dorval said. “What they wanted to do had a lot of weight.”

While attending a fundraiser at the school, Burton, who loyally attends drama club shows, asked Dorval what the club’s next production was going to be.

After learning that Burton had once prepared for a production of “Our Town” that never took stage, Dorval decided to invite Burton to participate in the school’s production.

For years, Burton and the late Sandra Corbin, who was going to play Mrs. Webb in the 1970s, occasionally quoted lines from the show during conversations.

And Burton and Corbin, the longtime secretary at Memorial School, also exchanged heliotrope plants, plants that the play makes reference to.

“I loved doing it,” said Burton of participating three decades ago. “I was disappointed we never did it.”
“Our Town” has few props, a good amount of pantomime, and sound effects – allowing audience members to use their imagination.

But its themes are universal, said student Bethany Murphy, who plays the stage manager.

“Pretty much everyone can relate to the show in some way,” she said.

This show is different in another sense. Knowing that “Our Town,” a large-cast production, would be a challenge to produce, direct and cast, Dorval enlisted the help of two graduates of San Diego State University’s theater program.

“I wouldn’t have attempted this play without their expertise,” Dorval said. “They were invaluable.” 

Kira Walz said she and Alison Kerrigan sought to attract kids new to theater and refine the talents of the cast.
Kerrigan hopes being on stage will hope boost the students’ self-confidence.

Participating in the show is giving students who love being on stage another opportunity to showcase their talent.

“We worked very hard on it,” said freshman Ashley Scalia, who plays the milkman. “We want people to see it and enjoy it and see the effort we put into it.”