A classic that’s been called “the greatest American play ever written” and a brand-new musical about a Mexican-American mother and daughter are on tap at two Lehigh Valley colleges.

Desales University Act 1 presents Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Our Town,” which opened Feb. 16 and continues through Feb. 27, Main Stage, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the university’s Center Valley campus.

Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance Department will mount its first full-scale musical since 2019 with “Miss You Like Hell,” Feb. 24-27, Baker Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Allentown.

“Our Town” depicts small-town life in fictional Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, between 1901 and 1913, centering on young Emily Webb (Mackenzie Schmidt) and George Gibbs (Carter Sachse), who grow up together, fall in love and get married. When their story takes an unexpected turn, it leads the audience to the realization that there is more to life than meets the eye.

The play is set in a theater and the main character is the stage manager, who addresses the audience, fields questions and fills in playing some of the roles.

“You kind of learn through this production that even the least important day of your life is something special,” says Gregory Wintle, who portrays the stage manager.

“Our Town” director Steven Dennis says even though it is set at the turn of the century, the play has relevance.

“What may have started as a vintage slice of early 20th-century Americana has now taken on a depth and meaning that transcends that period,” says Dennis, DeSales University associate professor of theater.

“This play has something that everybody can relate to. It’s about growing up, falling in love and finding purpose,” Dennis says.

“Our Town,” first produced and published in 1938, is Wilder’s most recognized and performed work. The devices of minimal scenery and props demand the audience’s imagination.

The play, which had a successful Broadway run, received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The production is marked by its use of a mostly bare stage. Actors, for the most part, mime actions without the use of props.

Will Neuert, DeSales University assistant professor and head of design, scenic designer for the production, embraced the challenge of Wilder’s minimal aesthetic.

“We say ‘yes’ to every creative possibility,” says Dennis. “The actors are sketching out the real, authentic movements that we use to accomplish everyday tasks, without the benefit of the actual tools, utensils, food and objects actually being there.”

Deborah Burrill is costume designer. Eric T. Haugen, DeSales University assistant professor, is lighting designer. David M. Greenberg is sound designer.

“This play offers something that you’ve never quite seen before,” Dennis says.

The production is recommended for ages 10 and up.

Face masks are required to be worn indoors at Labuda Center.

Performances: 8 p.m. Feb. 16-19; 23-26; 2 p.m. Feb. 20, 27 and 9:45 a.m. Feb. 22.

There are talk-backs with the cast after Feb. 20 and 22 performances.

There will be a performance with open-captioning for patrons who are hard of hearing and audio descriptions for patrons who are visually-impaired Feb. 19. Tickets are half-price for patrons using these services. Call box office manager Kyle Schumaker, 610-282-3654, ext. 1, for information.

Because of licensing restrictions, Act 1 is not permitted to stream the production.

Tickets: https://www.desales.edu/news-events/act-1-productions; 610-282-3192

American road-trip musical at Muhlenberg:

A mother and daughter reconnect when they embark on a cross-country road trip in “Miss You Like Hell,” a new musical by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Erin McKeown.

It’s the first fully-staged musical presented by the Theatre & Dance Department at Muhlenberg College since 2019 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdown.

“Miss You Like Hell,” first produced in 2016, takes an intimate look at the immigrant experience through the eyes of a Mexican-American family.

Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes (“In the Heights,” “Water by the Spoonful”) and folk singer-songwriter Erin McKeown, “Miss You Like Hell” is an intense musical that takes audiences on a desperate, joyous, American road trip.

Muhlenberg College faculty member Jamie McKittrick, who directs the production, says the play takes the concept of United States immigration policy and makes it personal.

“These characters are fully-realized humans who are directly affected by these policies,” McKittrick says.

“What I love about this piece is the way that these two people, this mother and daughter, find their way back to each other. It’s a hard journey, but it feels inevitable,” says McKittrick.

The story takes place in 2014 when immigration reform initiatives lead to a harder road for would-be asylum- seekers. The smart and imaginative 16-year-old Olivia (Marina Rinkunas) hasn’t seen her mother, Beatriz (Bridget Wiggan), for years.

On the brink of deportation and hoping to make up for lost time, Beatriz talks her daughter into coming along on an expedition with a deadline. Along the way, they meet eclectic characters and discover how far they can travel with the help of courageous neighbors and kind strangers.

McKittrick says she identifies with Olivia’s efforts to connect to her complex cultural heritage.

“I’m half-Mexican and half-white,” McKittrick says. “So, I deeply understand what it is to have a foot in two different cultures.

“Olivia feels a deep connection to her Mexican roots, but coming through cultural experiences such as the food and music, but not necessarily the language. Which can eventually lead to worries around, ‘Am I Mexican enough?,’” says McKittrick.

The show has a score of pop ballads, folk travel songs and rhythm and blues. Music director Vincent Trovado conducts a seven-piece band, which will be placed on stage.

Choreography is by Samuel Antonio Reyes, Muhlenberg College adjunct professor of hip-hop.

Face masks are required to be worn in Trexler Pavilion.

Performances are 8 p.m. Feb. 24-26 and 2 p.m. Feb. 27. There will be a performance with open-captioning for patrons who are hard of hearing and audio descriptions for patrons who are visually-impaired Feb. 27.

Tickets: https://www.muhlenberg.edu/academics/theatre-dance/; 484-664-3333

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com