The fifth Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s classic “Our Town” opened Thursday, and outside the Barrymore Theatre, the show’s producers have very wisely posted rave blurbs about the play. What makes these very upbeat words different from the usual huzzahs delivered by critics is that they come from two famous playwrights. Edward Albee and David Mamet are both quoted as calling “Our Town” the best American play ever.
My opinion of “Our Town” is somewhat less rapturous, and it’s because I’m something of an expert on the subject of small towns, which Albee, Mamet and even Wilder are not. They were born in, respectively, Washington, D.C.,