It wouldn't have dawned on me to ask him

Joanne Woodward

With a population of slightly more than 26,000, Westport is a refuge for wealthy New Yorkers and a rare stage appearance by its most famous resident is likely to provoke great excitement.

But the actress revealed her stellar husband was not the obvious first choice for the lead role of stage manager in the play.

Woodward said she did not think of her husband for the lead when she chose the play to open the theatre's season.

"It wouldn't have dawned on me to ask him," Woodward confided.

Woodward 'stunned'

When they discussed the play a few months ago, Newman insisted: "I could play that role."

Woodward replied: "And I said, 'Of course, you could', and then I went and took a bath.

"When I came back into the room, he said, 'Listen to this a minute', and then he recited the whole first speech," Woodward said.

"I was stunned."

Our Town won the Pulitzer Prize in 1938, and is set in 1903 in New Hampshire, exploring the nature of everyday pleasures.