Write a treatment for a new production of the classic play OUR TOWN. The new production follows the general plan of the original play, however, each of the three acts now features the playful antics of a mischievous, capuchin monkey named Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith.
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TREATMENT: Our Town: The Throttlebottom-Smith Edition
Concept Overview:
This reimagining of Our Town remains largely faithful to Thornton Wilder’s original structure—three acts exploring life, love, and death in the small town of Grover’s Corners. However, this production introduces a wildcard: Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith, a mischievous capuchin monkey whose presence subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) influences the characters’ fates, challenging the notion of fate itself.
The Stage Manager, ever the knowing narrator, acknowledges Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith’s antics with a bemused detachment, offering droll commentary on the monkey’s unpredictable interventions. The production balances the poignant, existential themes of the original with moments of slapstick chaos, creating an interplay between human order and animal anarchy.
ACT ONE: Daily Life
The quiet rhythm of Grover’s Corners begins as usual: Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb prepare breakfast, the children hurry off to school, and Dr. Gibbs makes his rounds. The Stage Manager sets the scene with his famous opening monologue. But as he gestures toward the horizon, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith scampers onto the stage, perches on his shoulder, and gently plucks his pocket watch.
The monkey’s presence in Grover’s Corners is an enigma. No one explicitly mentions him, yet everyone seems to adjust their lives around him. When young Emily and George exchange shy glances on their way to school, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith swoops in, swiping George’s homework and dangling it just out of reach. Instead of scolding the monkey, the town accepts this as a minor inconvenience, a tiny absurdity in an otherwise predictable world.
By the end of Act One, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith has:
- Stolen the church organist’s hymnbook, forcing a spirited improvisation.
- Replaced the town newspaper’s headlines with drawings of bananas.
- Caused a minor panic at the milkman’s stable after freeing a horse from its harness.
Through it all, the Stage Manager shakes his head. “Ain’t that just the way?” he muses.
ACT TWO: Love and Marriage
As George and Emily’s romance blossoms, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith intensifies his meddling. He steals George’s proposal letter before it reaches Emily, forcing George to stammer through a spontaneous, heartfelt speech at the soda fountain. When Mr. Webb gives George advice about marriage, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith peers over his shoulder, mimicking his stern expressions and solemn hand gestures.
At the wedding, the monkey’s shenanigans reach their peak:
- He swaps the wedding rings with circus peanuts, requiring a frantic last-minute correction.
- He clings to George’s back as he approaches the altar, giving the impression that the groom is burdened by an invisible weight.
- He interrupts the minister’s solemn vows by mimicking them in a high-pitched chitter, to the delight of the children in attendance.
Yet, the wedding proceeds. Love endures, despite the disruptions. Or perhaps, as the Stage Manager wryly suggests, because of them.
ACT THREE: Death and Eternity
Here, the tone shifts. The cemetery on the hill is a place of quiet reflection. The spirits of the dead, seated on simple chairs, watch the living with detached understanding. And yet—there is Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith, sitting among them. Has he died? Was he always part of some cosmic, eternal order?
As Emily relives her twelfth birthday, the monkey watches solemnly from the roof of her childhood home. No pranks. No tricks. Just observation. He, too, seems to grasp the aching fragility of life. When Emily returns to the cemetery, the monkey gently places a fallen flower in her lap.
The Stage Manager offers his final thoughts. He gestures toward the stars, as he always does. But this time, Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith clambers onto his shoulder, gazing upward as well.
Final Thoughts:
This production of Our Town retains its central meditation on life’s fleeting beauty, but through the presence of Mr. Throttlebottom-Smith, it highlights the absurdity, randomness, and playful chaos that exists alongside the solemn march of time. The monkey is never explained—he simply is, much like the mysteries of existence itself.
The audience leaves the theater not just contemplating mortality, but also wondering: was the monkey fate? Free will? Or just an agent of divine nonsense?
