Town Players of Newtown continues its 2026 season with the equally compelling and heartbreaking drama The Shadow Box, which runs through May 16.

The Shadow Box is a Pulitzer and Tony-winning play that depicts three terminally ill patients living in hospice cabins on forested hospital grounds over 24 hours.

In Cabin One is Joe (played by Roger Dykeman), who is at peace with his diagnosis, but whose wife Maggie (Rachel Ames) is in denial. Their son Steve (Andre St Georges) is also with them, left in the dark by Maggie about his dad's condition.

In Cabin Two is Brian (Michael Gobiel), a man who experiences a second wind of creativity after his diagnosis. However, his significant other, Mark (Qesar Veliu), finds himself at odds with Brian’s ex-wife, Beverly (Denise Hubbard).

In Cabin Three resides Felicity (Elayne Gordon), cared for by her daughter, Agnes (Kristin Aug), who hides a heartbreaking secret.

These three storylines never directly intersect with one another. Instead the throughline throughout the show is the interviewer (Laurel Lettieri), who interviews the three patients and occasionally their loved ones to get a better understanding of them through these troubling times.

In a show that revolves so heavily around death, everything hinges on the bond between the ensemble cast and the connection the audience feels with them. It is under the direction of Mark Ferguson that Town Players have taken this challenging, painful script and brought it to life on the small stage within The Little Theatre.

The set perfectly suits the atmosphere of the show, sporting a rustic, minimalistic look overall. The stage is separated into three open areas, one for each cabin. This makes it so each area has its own piece of the setting that stands out, from the wooden bench and archway in Cabin One and the tree-patterned sofa in Cabin Two to the dining table and tea set in Cabin Three.

There are also dark green forest background panels that line the back walls. Not only do they fit the setting in the actual show, but they are also a calming yet melancholic piece of the stage. The rich, cool colors really help the characters pop out and come to life.

Where the show really shines is in its ensemble cast. Dykeman does a great job embodying Joe. He has this lilting cadence to his voice that makes him seem kind and approachable. It's this sunny attitude he generally carries in spite of his circumstances that makes it all the more startling when he raises his voice later in the performance.

Dykeman gets red in the face as his face scrunches when that raised voice comes, begging Maggie to tell their son about his diagnosis. His pain is palpable, and it makes the moments where he holds Maggie or is smiling on the bench as Steve plays guitar real and heartfelt.

Ames is equally as great as Maggie. Her character's exhaustion comes out in how she carries herself, from the strained expression while carrying six bags to the frantic pacing back and forth from Joe's condition. Ames's voice breaks in between sporadic sobs as she tries begging Joe to run away back home with them.

It is hard for the audience to not feel for this family as she buries herself into him, a testament to Ames for giving herself in totally to her character. St Georges rounds out the family as the free-spirited Steve, whose genuine smile and line delivery make him a solid anchor to his family's painful dilemma.

Gobiel as Brian is the heart of Cabin Two. He has this giddy, straightforward energy that makes him bounce off his current and former flame, from throwing his head back laughing at Beverly's jokes to tenderly embracing Mark in a vulnerable moment.

His character has a lot of lengthy monologues on death, the ease of dealing with the pain of living and the fear of the last moment when everything stops. Gobiel aces every single one, using his hands and whole upper body to emphasis certain words and phrases. His voice cracks, his hands tremble, and its this passion for life that makes the audience feel endeared to him and his relationship.

Speaking of, Veliu is great as Mark. He is considerably more dry and introverted compared to the excitable Brian and boisterous Beverly. It's in this contrast where he shines, though, as he carries himself with this reserved, composed, snarky energy that makes the dynamics in Cabin Two feel so genuine.

Veliu somewhat drops this when his character rants about Brian's carefree attitude about his diagnosis despite the dark, even gross reality of it all, where his speech gets more frantic, sharp and strained. The audience can see his reserved nature loosen after this, toward both Beverly and Brian, a testament to Veliu nailing his character.

Hubbard is an absolute hoot as Beverly. Her character is somewhat drunk for a good portion of the show, and Gordon brings this to life by carelessly lounging around on the sofa or giddily spinning to show off her jewelry. She is equal parts blunt and eccentric that make her charming on stage.

Not only does Hubbard have great comedic timing, landing her jokes so the audience can't help but laugh, but she lets this compassionate side show through her character. It's easy to see that Beverly cares so much about Brian, and even Mark after they share an emotional conversation, because of this genuine care for others.

Gordon is heartbreaking as Felicity. Her character is wheelchair-bound and struggles greatly with dementia, slipping in and out of reality on a dime. Gordon will be loud and boisterous at times, getting some funny moments through singing or making some out-of-pocket remarks.

Most of the time, however, she is shaking and calling out for her other daughter, Claire, in a trembling voice. Her eyes are obscured by sunglasses, but her pain and heartbreak are so genuine it hurts.

Aug plays Felicity's tense, anxious, often overlooked daughter Agnes. This internal distress manifests itself physically with Aug's strong physical acting, what with her trembling upper body and perpetually tired expression. In her most tense, vulnerable moments, she can be seen tapping her thumb and pointer finger together, as if, if she does it enough times, her mother will be brought back into reality.

While Agnes has her own dark secrets, the way Aug portrays this sad, exhausted woman makes it so she is less someone who made a string of bad decisions and more a person who wants to make her mother happy in a way she has never been able to.

Lettieri rounds out the cast as the interviewer. She never goes on stage, acting entirely from the front row of the audience. She has a pleasant but slightly stern way about her; her voice is level, but she gives it this underlying compassion that adds a refreshing element to the character.

While the interviewer is not a central character in the show, it is these moments that Lettieri has with the other characters that serve as a strong backbone to the show.

It is through the ensemble's collective effect that these three very real, incredibly different scenarios hit the way they need to. While The Shadow Box is a difficult show, the Town Players handle it with the grace and delicacy it deserves.

Performances of The Shadow Box continue Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, and Thursday, May 14, at 8 pm. Tickets are $30 adults and $25 senior citizens. For more information, visit newtownplayers.org.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.