Thunderous applause echoed throughout the Baldwin Auditorium as the audience got a glimpse of the unique and humorous romances of the tiny township of Almost, Maine. A beautifully executed and wonderfully designed production, “Almost, Maine” filled the audience with warmth despite the fact that the actors were all bundled up to battle the cold weather of Northern Maine.
On November 15 and 16 the Massapequa Drama Club performed a series of nine vignettes, adapted from playwright John Cariani. The show was directed by drama club advisor, Mr. Jordan Hue.
“Almost, Maine” writer John Cariani describes it as “a play about real people who are really, truly, honestly dealing with the toughest thing there is to deal with in life: love.” Likewise, each scene in the play focuses on a magical moment where the characters find love in some way, even after having lost it.
“[This production] was nothing like I’ve ever done before,” sophomore Keely Sanders, who played Marci, said. “I really liked the fact that it portrays love in so many different forms.”
Central to the play is the story of Pete (junior Charlie McGrath) and Ginette (sophomore Alexia Castle), who, in the prologue, are discussing how distance factors into their relationship. They ultimately come to the conclusion that their love will transcend any difficult situation, but not without a few bumps in the road.
Next comes “Her Heart,” the delightfully uplifting story of Glory and East played by senior Kelly McNeice and junior Jake Finklestein. Glory, visiting Almost to see the Northern Lights, finds herself in the yard of the township’s repairman. East, short for Easton, is surprised and even slightly angry when he finds her, but ultimately realizes that he’s in love with her.
“Sad and Glad,” which takes place in the Moose Paddy, a popular hangout, deals with the all too common theme of losing and finding love. Exes Jimmy and Sandrine, portrayed by senior Joseph Savold and junior Morgan Wing, see each other for the first time at the Moose Paddy. Although Sandrine is there for her own bachelorette party, she is quite bothered to see a relationship forming between Jimmy and a waitress named Villian (played by junior Nikki Moll).
The next scene, “This Hurts,” is one of the most humorous scenes of the production. Junior William Meurer, who played Steve, is unable to feel pain. When Marvalyn (junior Alyssa Jannello) hits him in the head with an ironing board, he insists that he is fine. Only after Steve acknowledges his feelings towards Marvalyn and realizes the power of love does he gain the ability to regain his sense of touch.
After “This Hurts” comes “Getting it Back,” a tale of a long-term couple, Gayle and Lendall, who hasn’t tied the knot yet, much to the chagrin of Gayle, played by sophomore Lauren Mathias. Their love is rekindled by the end of the scene, though, when Lendall (played by Evan Ryans) proposes to Gayle.
A brief appearance by a forlorn Pete, alone, precedes the next vignette, “They Fell.” Longtime best friends Randi and Chas, portrayed by senior Elizabeth Briody and junior Jessica McNamara, respectively, find themselves literally “falling” in love, again and again. Hilariously, their attempt to stand up only ends in them falling again. This progressive story of a new love between two friends is a stand out in the production.
The next scene, “Where it Went,” is one of the sadder scenes of the play. Marci, portrayed by Keely Sanders, who is a sophomore at MHS, attempts to revive the love that exists between her and her husband, Phil (junior Brian Bernhard). However, their romantic evening skating at the pond doesn’t exactly go as planned. A fight ensues, and Marci’s missing shoe, perhaps representative of the love she was trying to find with Phil, drops from the sky.
“Story of Hope” comes next, appropriately named for the character Hope, played by junior Courtney Taylor. Hoping for another chance to answer Daniel’s proposal, Hope travels back to Almost to accept. Although Hope is reunited with Daniel (junior Will Halstead), she finds out that Daniel has a wife, Suzette. Daniel closes the scene by telling Hope that she’ll find “her place in this world.”
The last vignette of the play, “Seeing the Thing” is a pleasant and humorous story of Rhonda (junior Nicole Phillips), a tough woman, and Dave (senior Michael Holland), a man who loves her. In the beginning of the scene, Dave gives Rhonda a painting that Rhonda can’t decipher. The scene ends with the blooming of their love and the reveal of the painting’s subject: a heart. By the end of the play, Pete and Ginette find themselves together once again. Magically, Ginette has traveled around the world to find herself closer to Pete.
When I first sat down and read about the premise of the play, I wasn’t sure how nine different stories could be linked together. But, there were several elements that helped to maintain the fluidity of the story. All of the events in Almost, Maine take place around the same time; the aurora borealis, for instance, not only serves to highlight moments of poignancy and emotion, but also to show that everything the audience sees takes place almost at once in the setting. Characters made passing references to other residents of Almost, further demonstrating the interconnectedness of each individual scene.
More than just these elements, the talented cast’s ability to drive home the central theme of love despite the changing storyline made the show really stand out.
“With the atypical format in place, every actor in the production was the lead of their own play,” Mr. Hue said. “We got to see a lot more of actors that may have spent more time in the background in previous years. ”
This storyline required a lot of work from the cast, and they cast certainly rose to the challenge. “[The actors] had really great vocal projection and did a great job portraying their character’s innermost feelings,” sophomore Erin McWilliams said.
By the time the curtain fell, audience members left the auditorium with the understanding that although love can be difficult to hold on to at times, the warmth and security that it provides makes the struggle worth it, especially in the chilly town of Almost, Maine.