I’ve always been secretly partial to plays about love and heartbreak. Plays involving those emotions have always gotten me so invested with the story line, they are so brutal and truthful about what we as humans experience when we’re vulnerable with others. Sometimes it’s fruitful love; like the kind in the romantic comedies our mothers would show us when we hit age 16, or sometimes it’s painful and uses that vulnerability to its advantage.
Nevertheless, “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani shows all sides to love by introducing several couples in their own scenes and the very different stories that each couple faces. Each scene involves a different couple in a completely different situation from the others.
This has to be the first play (aside from Tennessee Williams’ works) I have read that I haven’t found anything wrong with or I personally dislike the stylistic choice of. I can connect to the characters well despite not living in Maine. Their emotions are real, they feel human and that’s very important in a story. The play is short, sweet, creates so much energy for the actors to be exposed to. The scenes aren’t rushed or too long, they are written well enough, and the story can be told in so many different ways.
It is beautifully written and definitely worth a read or to be directed.
Cecily Milliken can be reached at [email protected]