Jim Parsons, Katie Holmes and Cast of Broadway'sOur TownVisit N.H. Locale Where Thornton Wilder Penned Play

Mar. 15, 2025

Kenny Leon, Katie Holmes and Jim Parsons.Photo:Jenny Anderson

Jenny Anderson

The cast of the upcomingBroadway revival ofOur Towntook a field trip on Monday, Aug. 12 to Peterborough, N.H. — the quaint New England locale where Thornton Wilder penned his timeless play.

Leon and members of the creative team and the whopping 28-actor company — includingJim Parsons,Katie Holmes,Zoey Deutch,Ephraim Sykes,Richard Thomas, Billy Eugene Jones, Michelle Wilson, Julie Halston and Donald Webber Jr. — boarded two busses to make the near five-hour drive up north from New York City.

Photographer Jenny Anderson went along, too, documenting the day in a series of photos released to the press on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

Our Town— about life in the village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire — is returning toBroadwayfor the first time in nearly 25 years. Previews begin Tuesday, Sept. 17 ahead of an opening on Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Barrymore Theatre in N.Y.C.

A Marquee MeetingThe ‘Our Town’ company.Jenny AndersonPrior to their departure, theOur Towncompany gathered outside of the Barrymore Theatre for a group picture in under the marquee.Parsons, an Emmy winner for his work onThe Big Bang Theory, fittingly stood towards the center of the bunch. He’s leading the play as the drama’s “stage manager” narrator.

A Marquee Meeting

The ‘Our Town’ company.Jenny Anderson

Prior to their departure, theOur Towncompany gathered outside of the Barrymore Theatre for a group picture in under the marquee.

Parsons, an Emmy winner for his work onThe Big Bang Theory, fittingly stood towards the center of the bunch. He’s leading the play as the drama’s “stage manager” narrator.

On the Open Road

The Tony and Grammy Award-nominee returns to the boards to play George Gibbs, the high school baseball star and the senior class president who plunges into adulthood thanks to his romance with neighbor Emily Webb (Deutch).

Our Townfollows the intersecting paths of the Gibbs and Webb families over the course of 12 years. George is the eldest son of Dr. Gibbs (Jones) and Mrs. Gibbs (Wilson), as well as the other brother of Rebecca Gibbs (Safiya Kaijya Harris).

Learning Those LinesJenny AndersonAlso on the bus, Deutch posed with the script for Wilder’s play.This will be theSet It Upactress' Broadway debut, though she’s got a good guide in Holmes. TheDawson’s Creekstar has been on the Great White Way twice before: first in the 2008 revival ofAll My Sons, and last in 2012’sDead Accounts.

Learning Those Lines

Also on the bus, Deutch posed with the script for Wilder’s play.

This will be theSet It Upactress' Broadway debut, though she’s got a good guide in Holmes. TheDawson’s Creekstar has been on the Great White Way twice before: first in the 2008 revival ofAll My Sons, and last in 2012’sDead Accounts.

Dining at the Diner

Once they arrived in town, the group grabbed a bite at the popularPeterborough Diner, later posing with the staff outside.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the historic business operates out of an original Worcester train-style lunch car, and has since 1949. It’s known for serving breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.

As legend has it, the Peterborough Dinner is Worcester Lunch Car No. 827 and the first the company ever made with a green-and-cream color scheme.

Sharing a Table and a Smile

Inside the Peterborough Diner, Parsons sat with Halston (Tony winner and Thomas' costar inYou Can’t Take It with You). She and Parsons were also seatmates on the bus.

Grabbing a BiteJenny AndersonAlso at the diner, Armstrong snapped a pic of Thomas seemingly enjoying a bowl of food.The Emmy winner, perhaps best known for playing budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama seriesThe Waltons,has had a long career on Broadway. withOur Townmarking his 15th credit.He has also starred in acclaimed revivals ofThe Great Society(2019),The Little Foxes(2017) andYou Can’t Take It with You(2014).

Grabbing a Bite

Also at the diner, Armstrong snapped a pic of Thomas seemingly enjoying a bowl of food.

The Emmy winner, perhaps best known for playing budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama seriesThe Waltons,has had a long career on Broadway. withOur Townmarking his 15th credit.

He has also starred in acclaimed revivals ofThe Great Society(2019),The Little Foxes(2017) andYou Can’t Take It with You(2014).

Tour Time

Kaikkonen took time to point out some of the sights that Wilder references inOur Town, as well buildings that became inspirations for elements of Grover’s Corners.

A Corner at Grover’s CornersJenny AndersonThough Grover’s Corners is a fictional town at the center ofOur Town, Peterborough has embraced the likeness, even putting it on street signs.Here, Deutch and Sykes pose at the cross street of Main St. and Grove St.

A Corner at Grover’s Corners

Though Grover’s Corners is a fictional town at the center ofOur Town, Peterborough has embraced the likeness, even putting it on street signs.

Here, Deutch and Sykes pose at the cross street of Main St. and Grove St.

A Stop at MacDowellJenny AndersonWilder pennedOur Townat MacDowell, a nonprofit artist’s residency program in Peterborough that pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell established to honor her husband, composer Edward MacDowell, after his death.The farmland location has remained a quiet retreat for creatives to work since, with an estimated 9,000 filmmakers, playwrights, poets, composers, writers and more coming through the program.Here, David Macy — resident director of MacDowell — gives a tour of the property to theOur Towncompany.

A Stop at MacDowell

Wilder pennedOur Townat MacDowell, a nonprofit artist’s residency program in Peterborough that pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell established to honor her husband, composer Edward MacDowell, after his death.

The farmland location has remained a quiet retreat for creatives to work since, with an estimated 9,000 filmmakers, playwrights, poets, composers, writers and more coming through the program.

Here, David Macy — resident director of MacDowell — gives a tour of the property to theOur Towncompany.

Visiting Veltin

Later, Oliveras, Holmes, Thomas, Sykes, Wilson, Harris and Jones even posed together for a picture in front of Veltin, the studio where Wilder finishedOur Townat MacDowell.

There have been 102 Pulitzer Prizes awarded to alumni of MacDowell, among many other accolades (21 Tonys, 9 Oscars, 18 Grammys, etc).

Ready for a Read ThroughJenny AndersonOnce sight-seeing ended, it was time to get down to business!Gathering in MacDowell’s Bond Hall, the cast heard some opening remarks from Leon and a presentation from set designer Beowulf Boritt. They then settled into a read through of the play, together for the first time.

Ready for a Read Through

Once sight-seeing ended, it was time to get down to business!

Gathering in MacDowell’s Bond Hall, the cast heard some opening remarks from Leon and a presentation from set designer Beowulf Boritt. They then settled into a read through of the play, together for the first time.

Listen CarefullyJenny AndersonJones, Sykes, Parsons and Wilson were snapped as they heard remarks from Leon before the first read through.Once completed, the wholeOur Townfamily made their way back to the busses where they made the long journey back to Manhattan.

Listen Carefully

Jones, Sykes, Parsons and Wilson were snapped as they heard remarks from Leon before the first read through.

Once completed, the wholeOur Townfamily made their way back to the busses where they made the long journey back to Manhattan.

Ending on a Laugh

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Tickets forOur Townare now on sale onTelecharge.com.

source: people.com