"Almost, Maine”: A Wonderful Winter Tale Tackles Love
Words by Kristen Fogle
“Almost, Maine” by John Cariani and performed as a staged reading by Carlsbad Playreaders on Monday, December 5 in the Schulman Auditorium, is an enchanting delight from start to finish. “Almost, Maine” is a place, one in which love is the lone subject matter and is discussed with an overwhelming honesty but displayed with magical whimsy. The eight independent stories see 19 different characters fall in and out of love at nine o’clock on a cold, clear, moonless Friday night during winter in the deepest part of this imaginary territory in northern Maine. Four talented cast members read each part, bringing depth and imagination to each character.
As said prior, the play consists of eight stories/scenes and includes a prologue and epilogue. The prologue and epilogue, though well done, are perhaps the most forgetful of all the extremely well written scenes; both center on Pete and Ginette looking up at the stars and finally speaking ‘I love you’s’…The mood turns sour, however, when their ideas of closeness appear incongruent. (However, the epilogue sees a return to this idea and brings closure with it.) More memorable scenes include “Her Heart,” which focuses on Glory, a young woman who has come to Maine to see the Northern Lights as a way of saying goodbye to a former love, who has camped out in East’s yard. She struggles with her heart being physically broken, which is in a paper bag that keeps ending up in East’s hands. Another is “This Hurts,” focusing on Marvalyn and Steve, who live in different rooms in a boarding house. Steve has an interesting medical condition: he physically cannot feel pain. Both discuss different types of hurt and experience an unexpected kiss, which aides in repairing Steve’s problem of (not) feeling pain.
To give the synopsis of each scene would be remiss, as this is one of the best scripts I have witnessed in quite a while. One should experience the gentle moments that encompass this piece for oneself. But, as with “Her Heart” and “This Hurts,” one can glimpse that each scene climaxes with a form of magic: we learn that Ginette’s heart is kept in a paper bag; Steve’s deficit is cured by love. To put such complicated issues into a childlike simplicity is beautiful, enriching, and quite moving. Metaphors move into literal territory and take on fun shape and form. John Cariani reflects on his play: “Although I don't think I've written poetic language–I think I have written poetic situations. This is the kind of poetry I like: poetry that is well disguised; poetry that sneaks up on an audience; poetry that surprises. Unexpected poetry gets people where it counts in their hearts and souls.” He goes on to remind that the goal of this poetry is to “create a play about real people who are really, truly, honestly dealing with the toughest thing there is to deal with in life: love.”
Sassan Saffari, who plays East as well as four others in his fifth reading with the Carlsbad Playreaders, is perhaps the most comical of the cast, humorous without being over the top, and carries this light hearted quality into each character he undertakes. DeNae Steele, who has performed all over the country, embarks upon Marvalyn and others, adding an eccentric spark and bringing a down-to-earth sensibility to her characters; she also is an unassuming comic. Nathan Venzara, Steve/others, brings an innocence to his roles, as well as deep seated truthfulness and compassion. Lastly, Tiffany Tang is a more adorable version of Jan Brady in looks, but plays complex, emotionally fraught characters (at least with Glory, Gayle, and Hope) that let us see well acted, unguarded feeling.
Director Maelyn Gandola solidifies gorgeous writing and a talented cast with fun visual aids (for instance, we see the bag that Glory’s heart is in), minimal but effective movement, an appropriate soundtrack and audio effects, quirky touches (like bubbles that mimic snow), and freezing temperature appropriate clothing. The one flaw in the show was not the show itself either; the audio system went out before Act Two. However, in my seat in the back row, I was able to hear each actor just as well as when the performance had the assistance of microphones.
The disappointing part about a well done reading is their minimal run (in this case, one night). The good news, however, is that Scripps Ranch Theatre (http://www.scrippsranchtheatre.org/) will be putting on the staged production starting March 24. (I not so subtly encourage you to go.)
The entire Carlsbad Playreaders season selection is quite impressive also; “Radio Golf” (by August Wilson) is up next on Monday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. Other plays that will be performed include: “And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians),” “Superior Donuts,” and “A View from the Bridge.” More information can be found at www.carlsbadplayreaders.org.
“Almost, Maine” by John Cariani and performed as a staged reading by Carlsbad Playreaders on Monday, December 5 in the Schulman Auditorium, is an enchanting delight from start to finish. “Almost, Maine” is a place, one in which love is the lone subject matter and is discussed with an overwhelming honesty but displayed with magical whimsy. The eight independent stories see 19 different characters fall in and out of love at nine o’clock on a cold, clear, moonless Friday night during winter in the deepest part of this imaginary territory in northern Maine. Four talented cast members read each part, bringing depth and imagination to each character.
As said prior, the play consists of eight stories/scenes and includes a prologue and epilogue. The prologue and epilogue, though well done, are perhaps the most forgetful of all the extremely well written scenes; both center on Pete and Ginette looking up at the stars and finally speaking ‘I love you’s’…The mood turns sour, however, when their ideas of closeness appear incongruent. (However, the epilogue sees a return to this idea and brings closure with it.) More memorable scenes include “Her Heart,” which focuses on Glory, a young woman who has come to Maine to see the Northern Lights as a way of saying goodbye to a former love, who has camped out in East’s yard. She struggles with her heart being physically broken, which is in a paper bag that keeps ending up in East’s hands. Another is “This Hurts,” focusing on Marvalyn and Steve, who live in different rooms in a boarding house. Steve has an interesting medical condition: he physically cannot feel pain. Both discuss different types of hurt and experience an unexpected kiss, which aides in repairing Steve’s problem of (not) feeling pain.
To give the synopsis of each scene would be remiss, as this is one of the best scripts I have witnessed in quite a while. One should experience the gentle moments that encompass this piece for oneself. But, as with “Her Heart” and “This Hurts,” one can glimpse that each scene climaxes with a form of magic: we learn that Ginette’s heart is kept in a paper bag; Steve’s deficit is cured by love. To put such complicated issues into a childlike simplicity is beautiful, enriching, and quite moving. Metaphors move into literal territory and take on fun shape and form. John Cariani reflects on his play: “Although I don't think I've written poetic language–I think I have written poetic situations. This is the kind of poetry I like: poetry that is well disguised; poetry that sneaks up on an audience; poetry that surprises. Unexpected poetry gets people where it counts in their hearts and souls.” He goes on to remind that the goal of this poetry is to “create a play about real people who are really, truly, honestly dealing with the toughest thing there is to deal with in life: love.”
Sassan Saffari, who plays East as well as four others in his fifth reading with the Carlsbad Playreaders, is perhaps the most comical of the cast, humorous without being over the top, and carries this light hearted quality into each character he undertakes. DeNae Steele, who has performed all over the country, embarks upon Marvalyn and others, adding an eccentric spark and bringing a down-to-earth sensibility to her characters; she also is an unassuming comic. Nathan Venzara, Steve/others, brings an innocence to his roles, as well as deep seated truthfulness and compassion. Lastly, Tiffany Tang is a more adorable version of Jan Brady in looks, but plays complex, emotionally fraught characters (at least with Glory, Gayle, and Hope) that let us see well acted, unguarded feeling.
Director Maelyn Gandola solidifies gorgeous writing and a talented cast with fun visual aids (for instance, we see the bag that Glory’s heart is in), minimal but effective movement, an appropriate soundtrack and audio effects, quirky touches (like bubbles that mimic snow), and freezing temperature appropriate clothing. The one flaw in the show was not the show itself either; the audio system went out before Act Two. However, in my seat in the back row, I was able to hear each actor just as well as when the performance had the assistance of microphones.
The disappointing part about a well done reading is their minimal run (in this case, one night). The good news, however, is that Scripps Ranch Theatre (http://www.scrippsranchtheatre.org/) will be putting on the staged production starting March 24. (I not so subtly encourage you to go.)
The entire Carlsbad Playreaders season selection is quite impressive also; “Radio Golf” (by August Wilson) is up next on Monday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. Other plays that will be performed include: “And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians),” “Superior Donuts,” and “A View from the Bridge.” More information can be found at www.carlsbadplayreaders.org.
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