First look: Jim Parsons, Zoey Deutch, Katie Holmes in 'Our Town' on Broadway (original) (raw)

It's been nearly 25 years since Broadway took audiences to Grover's Corners, and now, Our Town is getting a starry revival for our times.

The play, written by Thornton Wilder, first premiered on Broadway in 1938 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Now, Tony award-winning director Kenny Leon is bringing it back, and Entertainment Weekly has your exclusive first look at the production.

Our Town follows the lives of the residents of Grover's Corners, N.H., at the turn of the 20th century. The storytelling is constructed through the narrative device of a stage manager (Jim Parsons) inviting Emily Webb (Zoey Deutch) to look back on her brief life.

Jim Parsons as the stage manager in ‘Our Town’.

Daniel Rader

"The first words of Our Town are what make seeing it and being in it utterly unique: 'This play is called Our Town,'" Parsons tells EW. "You cannot get more honest with an audience than that. We then go on to tell the audience who produced and directed the show and what actors you will see playing parts for them throughout. It’s as if all 1,100 of us at the Barrymore Theatre enter into a contract each performance — we agree to be honest about the fact that we’re going to pretend certain things for a while, in order that we may all discover a little something that unites us, something we have in common, as brief residents on this earth. This inevitably means that each performance is different because, while the 28 of us cast members stay the same, the 1,100 humans in the house change every time."

In addition to Parsons and Deutch, the show also boasts Katie Holmes as Mrs. Webb, Billy Eugene Jones as Dr. Gibbs, Ephraim Sykes as George Gibbs, Richard Thomas as Mr. Webb, Michelle Wilson as Mrs. Gibbs, Julie Halston as Mrs. Soames, and Donald Webber, Jr. as Simon Stimson.

Zoey Deutch in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

"I think the play reminds us of the good in us," director Kenny Leon adds. "Community looks out for each other, this community is inclusive and embracing of the differences among us.This is an Our Town that leans in with love and hope for a more precious future as we learn lessons from the past.”

Ephie Aardema Sarnak, Heather Ayers, Willa Bost, Bobby Daye, Safiya Kaijya Harris, Doron JéPaul, Shyla Lefner, Anthony Michael Lopez, John McGinty, Bryonha Marie, Kevyn Morrow, Hagan Oliveras, Noah Pyzik, Sky Smith, Bill Timoney, Ricardo Vázquez, Matthew Elijah Webb, Greg Wood and Nimene Sierra Wureh round out the cast.

Ephraim Sykes, Katie Holmes, and Richard Thomas in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

Our Town is now in previews and opens on Oct. 10 at New York's Barrymore Theatre. Check out the photos below for more.

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Ephraim Sykes in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

Ephraim Sykes and Zoey Deutch in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

The cast of 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

John McGinty and Michelle Wilson in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

The cast of 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

Ephraim Sykes, Richard Thomas, and Zoey Deutch in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

The cast of 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader

Julie Halston in 'Our Town'.

Daniel Rader