Rehearsals are underway for Classic Stage Company’s New York premiere of Thornton Wilder’s final play, The Emporium, adapted and completed by Kirk Lynn and directed by Rob Melrose. The production will feature Candy Buckley, Mahira Kakkar, Eva Kaminsky, Patrick Kerr, Derek Smith, Joe Tapper, and Cassia Thompson.
More than 75 years in the making, an unfinished work by one of America’s greatest dramatists takes the New York stage at last. The Emporium unveils Thornton Wilder’s final play, brought to life through playwright Kirk Lynn’s masterful completion. As a young man journeys through the city and beyond, he encounters a world of wonder, meaning, and the elusive truths of life itself. Wilder’s long-unseen masterpiece is finally ready to be discovered, offering a rare chance to experience a new work from a legendary voice.
“My first time reading it, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is The Skin of our Teeth and Our Town together!’ Because there’s audience participation, there’s moments where the characters break in and out,” Tapper told BroadwayWorld’s Richard Ridge. “And at the same time, what I thought about was… Wilder wrote this as he was getting older, and if Our Town is the lesson that everyday life gives us all we need, I think The Emporium is questioning: if we have everything we need, why does it feel like it’s not enough?”
“It’s essentially about life in the arts, but even more so about how to live a life filled with love and family and devotion and things that give you meaning,” added Kaminsky. “I think it’s about finding meaning.”
Watch in this video as the whole company chats more about what audiences can expect.