Almost, Maine

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 Almost, Maine

Joshua Minze Uvid 10554650 HUM – 1010 T51 – 5 October 31, 2009 Theater Encounter 

 

 Almost, Maine is not actually the name of a real city in Maine, but the title of a

great play. On Saturday October October 23, 2009, I went to Texas Christian University’s Studio Theater in Fort Worth, Texas to see a live performance of this humorous and touching play.  Almost, Maine was written by actor and playwright, John Cariani. Most of you know him from his role as CSU tech Julian Beck on television’s Law &Order, and for his performance as Motel the Tailor in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof  for which he received a Tony award nomination. 2004 was a remarkable year for Cariani, as he also began his career as a playwright. His first play, Almost Maine, debuted at Portland Stage Company and was named one of the best plays of the year by The Wall Street  Journal. Only two years later  Almost,   Almost, Maine opened off-Broadway and has been

produced in 300 theaters all over the United States and in places as far flung as Mexico, Korea, Germany, and Australia.  Almost, Maine is the story of nine people in their mid 30’s dealing with the joys and downfalls of romance and love. As the northern lights hover over the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost find themselves falling in and out of love in magical and hilarious ways . Almost, Maine is appealing to many people because it has a common theme that everyone can relate to; love. Cariani, being from Maine originally, created the town of Almost to be a mythical composite of several Maine towns. He says that if Almost really existed it would be a sparsely populated town in the northernmost county of Maine. Empty land, wide-open space and a big big sky are the town’s foremost features. This sparse location and highly illuminated stage lighting (northern lights) are both very important to the scenes in the play. Each scene has a climax, or “magical moment” that the audience is highly anticipating. The very bright northern lights are displayed between each scene. These

 

revisiting are denoted as “transitional auroras.” These revisitings make you realize that the play is about 1 moment in time. Things can happen to change people in a heartbeat. Everything takes place at 9:00 PM on on a cold, clear, moonless, slightly surreal Friday night in the middle of winter. Also, not many props are used, as all of the stage sets are quite minimal. The actors look just like ordinary people. They are portrayed as hard working, extremely dignified, honest and true. Their dialogue is simple, honest, and truly spoken from the heart. They do not have funny accents or  wear extraordinary clothing. They are portrayed as simpletons who are dealing with the hardest toughest thing there is in life. The scenography and stage lighting are important elements in Almost, Maine; however Cariani also uses irony, satire, and metaphors to create a comedic and

imaginative effect. I particularly liked Scene 2 which illustrates a man’s lost and rekindled love. In this scene, Cariani uses over exaggerated irony to prove that a broken heart can heal. When the scene opens, Jimmy is drinking alone at a local bar, the Moose Patty. He runs into his ex-girlfriend, Sandrine. He is still madly in love with her, and is crushed when he finds out that she is there for her bachelorette party. While they are talking, Sandrine notices a new tattoo on Jimmy’s arm that says, “villian.” He tells her that it is spelled spelled wrong, and that it’s supposed to say, “villain.” Jimmy confessed to Sandrine that driving her away from him was “criminal,” and he wanted to punish himself. He said that by tattooing “villain” on his forearm, he would constantly be reminded of his mistake. Sandrine says goodbye to the heartbroken Jimmy and the waitress at the Moose Patty brings brings Jimmy a beer. They commence in small small talk and then introduce themselves. The waitress tells Jimmy her name is Villian, and Jimmy is

 

ecstatic. This unexpected twist at the end of this scene is absolutely fantastic. Cariani does a superb job giving his audience that feel good feeling. Although the satire and irony throughout  Almost, Maine assist Cariani in capturing his audience, the strong use of metaphors is essential to the theme. One of  the most impacting metaphorical examples is shown in my favorite scene of the performance, scene 1. This scene is about a young woman named Glory who recently lost her husband. She is told by a friend that the northern lights that appear in northern Maine are the souls of all the people who have died carrying torches to the gates of  Heaven. Wanting to see her husband go to Heaven, Glory camps out in a stranger’s yard so she can get the best view of the lights. When East (the owner of the home) sees Glory he questions what she is doing in his yard, and at the same time falls in love with her. Glory explains her reason for being there, and tells East that her husband broke her heart into 17 pieces by being unfaithful to her. She has an artificial heart in her chest, and is carrying around the broken one in a bag. East says he can fix her  broken heart, but Glory does not believe him. Reluctantly she lets him try, and as he starts to put Glory’s heart back together the northern lights come brilliantly across the sky. Looking toward the sky, Glory wishes a farewell to her husband, and when she looks back at her heart it is no longer in pieces. She is now able to find love again. The metaphors are so colorful and tangible that you can actually see love and hold it in your  hands. I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed  Almost, Maine. I thought the entire play was hilarious, thought –provoking, and even moving. I found myself really identifying with the characters, and I saw many of my own relationships up there on the

 

stage. I also never got bored with the play since there was a surprise at every turn. The short vignettes helped the show move along at a nice pace. I really think that  Almost, Maine has something that everyone can relate to; it encompasses everything

from loss and redemption to homecoming and heartbreak. John Cariani is a brilliant playwright, bringing all these elements together to create a solid, universal, down to earth story that anyone can enjoy.

 

Bibliography David, Cara Joy (2008) “John Cariani’s Shocking Crusade”. Crusade”. Los Angeles Times. http://calandarlive.com/tv/ci-cariani3feb03,05654111.story . Retrieved 10-25-2009.

De Mateo, Lara. John Cariani: Fresh Face. Brodway.com, March 10, 2004.

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