Brisbane review - Almost Maine: a Youthful Take

By Lilian Harrington

 Production: Almost Maine

Writer:            John Cariani

Company:     Villanova Players

Director:        Isabelle Stone & Ella Uhlmann

Location:       The Ron Hurley Theatre,

                           28 Tallowwood St. Seven Hills

Season:        March 20 – 22 Fri, Sat Sun. Evgs. @ 7 30pm, Mat.2pm

American writer John Cariani has taken a keen look at relationships in his very popular play Almost Maine. It is a magical place somewhere close to Maine in the U.S.A, a fictional not -quite town and not -quite country, but a place under the stars where one can see the Northern Lights and feel the love. In this play the writer looks at ways people behave when they form or break relationships, whether it is friendship, or love; he looks at how relationships end and how they begin and what changes take place; how it affects the behavior of a couple as a consequence.

The play is a series of scenes which are connected by the theme of relationships. With a focus on two central actors in each scene, he examines the ways in which friendships and love develops and then dies.

The two directors, Stone & Uhlmann, have used young actors to examine what a relationship is. And what happens when the relationship, which may have been guided by the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, becomes broken and people become strangers, no longer close friends, while for those relationships that last, it’s almost like winning gold at the Olympics; for many, meaningful relationships grow, love develops, some heart- changing happens and love is tested; so many relationships die, and close friends become strangers once more.  

The Villanova Players (V.P.) youth have mounted Almost Maine for a limited season, giving V.P. youth a chance to develop theatre skills. The play is built around several well-constructed scenarios where two couples face or voice real issues in the scene.

Viewers may see a woman show her feelings with a broken heart, which she carries in small bag, or a couple may have wrapped up their love in red bags, which become reduced to a small diamond ring, or it may be that former lovers meet now as strangers, or two good friends suddenly find that they have deepened their level of friendship. There are so many different scenarios which the four actors play out, propelled by the mystical energy from the great universe.  

The talented cast consisted of Joshua Bayldon (Pete and Lendell), Shelby Hodge (Cinette and waitress), Isabella Kirkwood (Glory, Gayle and Hope), Ronan Mason (East, Steve, Man), Kyle Wollstein (Jimmy, Phil and Dave), Sophie Duck (Sandrine, Shelly), Carmen O’Connell (Marvalyn, Deena), and Rebekah Rose (Marci, Rhonda), who took on multiple roles and all played characters at different levels or behaviors, in their relationship.

Isabella Kirkwood was awesome as Glory, the girl with the broken heart, who had come to see the Northern Lights and camped on private land; Kyle Wollstein showed sincerity, and grief as Jimmy, when meeting his lost love, now a stranger and Ronan Mason was exemplary as the Man.

The staging was kept simple throughout, couples were positioned stage center, or upstage, or on the house steps, depending on the scene. The backdrop was lit at times in colored lights and reminded viewers of the stars.  The winter pine trees were covered in snow, and there was a brick wall, indicating that the location was winter “Almost” in part -country/ part- town.

Almost Maine has become one of the plays studied by American students.  It gives some understanding of different behaviors in relationships. It is a timely program choice for V. P’s youth.