PERRY — Almost, Maine written by John Cariani was first produced in Portland, Maine, in 2004 to rave reviews. After a very short run Off-Broadway, Almost, Maine has become a popular show for high schools, universities, and community theatre companies. Directed by Andra Thorne, the Heritage Theatre proudly presents a heartfelt and witty rendition of Almost, Maine that gives a relatable and also very humorous view on love.
Show closes June 24, 2023.
Almost, Maine is set in the fictional town of Almost in the northernmost part of the state of Maine. The play features nine different couples and nine different events, which all occur around the town of Almost on a winter night at about 8:50 to 9 PM. Each relationship portrays unique instances and stages of love that are amusing and touching. Although a couple of these scenes push the boundaries of comfort with suggestions of love and innuendos, Thorne presents a play that is relatively clean yet could make me blush. Due to the mature nature of some of the material, this show is not for children.
Chad Call‘s set designed featured three increasingly elevated platforms and a simple park bench. This minimalistic set was complemented with fake piles of cottony white snow to allude to the feelings of chill cold during a Maine winter. Lighting designed by Braden Howard created beautiful hues of blues, greens, and other colors suggesting the awe inspiring views of the northern lights.
Even though this production featured only ten actors, this small cast was packed with talented actors, most of whom portrayed more than one character throughout the night. The entire cast worked well together creating a very cohesive feeling to the evening to portray the overall theme of hearts and love.
The vignettes that make up the play give each actor time to impress. Proving that love can be unexpected, Tiffany West as Glory meets Tony De Mille as East. West is optimistic and bright as she delivers her monologue about why she came so far north and ended up accidentally staying in East’s yard. De Mille is sweet and tender hearted as he sees beyond the stranger in his yard to a woman who is brokenhearted and grieving to a woman he falls in love with during their first meeting. West later delivers another great monologue as another character, Gayle, as she storms about in a crazy lady rant showing that love can also make you unhinged and nuts.
Seth Callor plays Jimmy at the restaurant who runs into his ex-girlfriend Sandrine (played by Camberra Clinger Garcia). Callor is an energetic and dynamic actor as he tries to get his old flame to join him for a drink only to be crushed as he finds out she is actually at her bachelorette party and getting married the next day. His emotional sincerity as he claimed “I’m glad you got found” shows the depth of love especially for one who needs to let go. However, Jimmy is not downhearted for long, as he realizes the cute waitress played by Emily Daugherty could be the woman of his dreams. Daugherty is sweet and hard working through the night and replies to Jimmy with a heart warming line of “I’m glad you found me. That’s adorable!”
Showing that love can be a funny thing, the comedic timing throughout the evening was brilliant especially as Marvalyn (played by Victoria Mathews) hit Steve (played by Adam Bone) with an ironing board. Mathews’s comedic lines were great, such as when her character Deena declared, “I’m doin’ somethin’ to his truck!”
Roger Brunker played the roles of Lendall and Man. Brunker’s characters are patient and contemplative. Lendall patiently waits for Gayle to calm down and come around, as he surprises her by giving her back all the love she gave him in a form she didn’t expect. Brunker later thoughtfully remarks about love that was lost, “I lost a lot of hope, that will do a number on a guy.”
The final scene, portraying Rhonda (played by Raina Jones) and Dave (played by DeMille), was definitely memorable. Jones and DeMille played two gnarly snowboarder friends who finally acknowledge their passionate love for each other. As they first kiss, they realize just how deep their passions flow resulting in a scene that is hilarious and also leaves the audience wondering, “Just how far is this going to go?!”
Almost, Maine is a wonderful collection of moments that make life so meaningful. Life is about the love that a person finds, loses, and gives themself. This heartfelt production is only around for a little while and is a gem to share with someone you love.
