‘Almost, Maine’ play review

The Actors Theater of Orcas Island’s production of “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani explores the theme of love in a delightful and original way.

by Michèle Griskey

Special to the Sounder

The Actors Theater of Orcas Island’s production of “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani explores the theme of love in a delightful and original way.

It’s a beautiful winter’s night in Almost, Maine. The stage is set with a twinkling night sky and evergreens. What follows is a series if vignettes starting and ending under the stars.

Love is revealed through declaration, broken hearts, moving on, pain, commitment, honesty, communication, hope and taking the plunge. There are plenty of stolen kisses, confessions of love, frustrations and delights. The play includes clever and whimsical symbols, which add unique twists to the production. The vignettes fit skillfully together into a whole and come full circle at the end. Orcas audiences should find a lot in common with the lives of these characters from a small community.

The actors all did a great job with their roles. This production has both newcomers to the stage and veteran actors. The cast includes Sky Bear Aguilar, Lauren Ferrell, Kevin Doyle, Kira Bradshaw, Kelly Toombs, Aaimee Johnson, Cara Russell, Suzanne Gropper, Brian Richard, Audra Goffeney, Mike Buckner, Freddy Hinkle, Tony Lee, Ron Herman, Rebecca Herman, Tom Gossett, Akarya, Katie Zwilling, and Tom Fiscus.  Director Melinda Milligan skillfully brings everything together with this diverse and large group of actors.

In addition to excellent acting and directing, audiences enjoyed beautiful acoustic music by Kaj and Tashi Litch and Rachel Bishop between scenes, which establishes the mood and the folksy feel of the piece.

It’s a busy time of year on Orcas, but “Almost, Maine” is worth your time. No matter how cold it is outside, the play will warm you up. Don’t miss this!

Remaining performances for “Almost, Maine” are on Dec. 13, 14, and 15 at 7:30 p.m. at The Grange. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Darvils, at the door, or online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/526361