‘Almost Maine’ leaves viewers with cold, elegant truth
“Almost, Maine,” written by John Cariani and produced by Chadron State College’s Theater department, is a delightful, funny, and heartwarming play.
The play is made up of 9 vignettes dealing with matters of the heart. From mending a broken heart, to realizing a loss of love, the stories range from being sweet, to tear-jerking.
The actors who appear in this play include veterans such as Willis Miller and Ashley Rushman, who both had lead roles in the fall production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” However, a variety of fresh faces hit the stage for this production, including Jamie Henry, Ryan Steinhour, Nathan Wojciechowski, Kristin Bowden, Tami Rethman, Jada Fisk, and Anna Owen. The 15 actors who make up the play, both old and new to Chadron’s stage, kept the energy on stage fresh, and breathed life into the familiar stories of a small town and a magical night.
Perhaps the most fun thing about this show is the way that the twist the world of metaphors into the world of realities. In “Her Heart” Glory, played by Henry, has a broken heart. Literally. She carries around her heavy, broken heart with her. And in “Getting it Back,” Gayle, played by Fisk, demands that her boyfriend Lendall, played by Evan Torkelsen, take back all the love that he gave her, carrying in several heavy bags, apparently full of love.
Though these sayings such as “I have a broken heart” or “I want my love back,” are common ideas, they are simply metaphors used to describe feelings. Cariani twists these metaphorical ideas into real life situations.
This makes the play seem magical. The characters accept the strange and impossible easily. The magic flows throughout the play, leaving the audience thinking that anything can happen, and leaving a warm feeling of hope in the chest of those watching.
The downside of these feelings is that they get old quickly. Although the first act put a smile on my face, I was starting to wonder if I could handle much more of the cutesy “feels.” Although Act Two still dealt in a magic world, the vignettes became more grounding.
The somber realities of “Where it Went,” a story about an older couple realizing that they are nearing the end of their marriage, tugged at my heart strings just as much as “Her Heart,” a story of finding new love. Although there is something to say about the creative way that metaphors are made real, there is also something to say about what is, in fact, real. Miller and Erin Daniel bring light to the real problem of dissolving marriages. While much of the play is played emotionally, “Where it Went” is played as a grounding actuality.
Act Two continues in the world of unforgiving reality with “Story of Hope.” Although this short vignette leaves the audience with more hope for its characters than the previous vignette, as Ashley Daniels, playing Woman, mutters her last word, I could feel that stinging sensation in my eyes and that crushing sensation in my chest.
Another notable vignette was “This Hurts,” starring Miller and Rushman as Steve and Marvalyn. Marvalyn’s plight is obvious from the beginning; you can see the slight remnants of what could be exhaustion, but is more likely a bruise darkening her eye. Rushman plays the part of a nervous, beaten girlfriend without being overly obvious. Her subtle plight was balanced well with Miller’s exuberant and quixotic character.
Above and beyond the fresh and talented cast was the set, designed by Scott Cavin. A starry backdrop sets the scene, and the blues that light the stage gives the whole play a feeling of the cold that surrounds them in the night. The stage sets up the juxtaposition between the cold night and the warm stories beautifully.
“Almost, Maine” was a very well-done production. I was pleased with every twist and turn the show took, and left feeling filled with warmth brought forward by the magical world that “Almost, Maine” immersed me in.
“Almost, Maine,” opens Thursday and runs through Sunday. Tickets can be reserved by emailing the boxoffice at boxoffice.csc.edu or by calling 432-6360.