A Successful Bafflement
Some plays explain themselves. The Skin of Our Teeth does not.
Instead, it invites us into a state of purposeful uncertainty — and this production understands that invitation fully.
I left the theater amused, impressed and unmistakably baffled. That reaction turns out not to be a shortcoming, but a measure of success. The play doesn’t ask to be solved. It asks to be experienced. This staging leans into that distinction with confidence, coordination, and care.
Confusing, yet compelling — exactly as intended.
Written in 1942, in the midst of World War II, The Skin of Our Teeth emerged at a moment when the survival of civilization itself felt anything but assured. Rather than respond with realism or straightforward allegory, Wilder broke theatrical rules outright — collapsing time, mixing eras, and allowing characters to step outside the action.
The play’s originality was immediately apparent. Critics were divided, sometimes sharply, but few denied its ambition. In 1943, the play received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, affirming its importance even as it confounded expectations. That tension — admiration paired with bewilderment — has followed the play ever since.
Confusion here is not accidental. Wilder suggests that humanity endures not through clarity or order, but through persistence, memory, and the stubborn willingness to begin again.
The Plot
At the center is the Antrobus family — George and Maggie, their children, and household help — not meant as realistic individuals so much as stand-ins for humanity itself. Over three acts, they survive an Ice Age, catastrophic flood, and the aftermath of a devastating war.
Realism is deliberately ignored. Dinosaurs and mammoths share space with modern conveniences. Characters address us directly. Scenes collapse, restart and loop back on themselves. Time doesn’t progress so much as repeat. What remains constant is the question Wilder keeps returning to: after each disaster, do we rebuild — and why?
Photo credit: Marilyn Izdebski
The Experience
This production embraces Wilder’s controlled chaos with assurance. Rather than apologizing for the play’s strangeness, it trusts us to stay alert and engaged. The fourth wall is porous, the tone shifts quickly, and humor arrives in both broad gestures and quiet asides.
Notably, the play itself anticipates audience confusion. Characters openly question the action, complain about the play they are in, and force scenes to restart, making bafflement part of the design rather than a byproduct of it.
What makes this staging especially effective is how well it handles scale. With a large cast, the production remains well coordinated and clear, even as the play ricochets between eras and theatrical modes. Group scenes are disciplined, allowing disorder to read as intentional rather than cluttered.
A large, confident production that embraces deliberate disorder.
The Production
Technical elements support storytelling throughout. Projections are used effectively, helping orient us as time and place shift, reinforcing the play’s collision of eras without overwhelming the action.
Costuming and props are strong, clearly defining character and tone while grounding the production visually. These elements give us something solid to hold onto in a play that resists narrative stability.
Pacing and transitions are handled with care. Even at its most unruly, the production maintains momentum, striking a difficult balance between freedom and control.
The production keeps a steady visual and emotional hand. Staging is clean and purposeful, giving the actors room to work and the story space to breathe. Scenes move along with easy confidence. The lighting knows exactly what it’s there to do — handled with care and restraint, shaping mood and momentum, then stepping aside before anyone feels the need to notice.
What It Adds Up To
Ultimately, this production succeeds because it refuses to tidy itself up. It leaves questions unanswered. Meaning accumulates rather than resolves. History falters, resets and continues.
Wilder even allows the play to argue with itself — and with us — before choosing, once again, to go on.
That lingering bafflement isn’t a flaw. It’s the point. Civilization wobbles. Language fails. History repeats. And yet — somehow — we persist.
NTC delivers a Skin of Our Teeth that earns its disorientation honestly. It is lively, well executed, and quietly affirming — a reminder that humanity doesn’t endure because it understands everything, but because it keeps going, by the skin of its teeth.
Something very different — you’ve been warned.
TO SEE
Novato Theater Company
5420 Nave Drive, Novato, CA 94949
Dates:
January 22 – February 15, 2026
Performance Times:
Fridays at 7:30 pm
Saturdays January 24, 31 & February 14 at 7:30 pm
Saturday February 7 at 2:00 pm
Sundays at 2:00 pm
Tickets:
www.novatotheatercompany.org
Box Office:
(415) 883-4498
Each review is created through my proprietary FocusLens℠ method—an original editorial process shaped by firsthand experience, critical insight, and structured narrative design. Original photography, graphics, director quotes, and animated elements are incorporated to enhance reader engagement and visual impact. State-of-the-art scaffolding systems support organization and phrasing, but every sentence and decision reflects my own voice and judgment. These are not AI-generated reviews—they are authored, shaped, and published by me.
