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Almost, Maine
Reviewed by Neal Weaver
Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Through Dec. 21
Recommended:
John Cariani’s play is, in fact, a collection of nine short sketches, mostly duologues, and mostly comic with some serious overtones. Much of Cariani’s comedy is rooted in the notion of taking figures of speech literally. In “Her Heart,” a woman (Natalie Avital) had her heart broken by her recently deceased husband, and carries its shattered fragments in a brown paper bag, till she meets a repairman (director Martin Papazian) who thinks he can fix it.
In “They Fell,” two good-old-boy friends (Travis Myers and John Lacy) are disconcerted when they literally fall for each other, in a loony series of prat-falls. And in “Getting it Back,” an angry wife (Samantha Sloyan) decides to return to her husband (Peter Breitmayer) all the love he has given her — which she carries about in bundles, like so many bags of dirty laundry.
In the Prologue, an over-loquacious man (Cameron Fife) almost loses his lady-love (Laura Steigers) when he talks instead of acts.
“Sad & Glad” follows a man (Alex Desert), who loses one woman (Tyne Stecklein) but may capture another (Misa Moosekian) due to a prophetically misspelled tattoo.
Devin Crittenden plays a young man who is unable to feel pain, till he’s wakened by a kiss from a neighbor (Presciliana Esparolini) in “This Hurts.” And a missing shoe proves to be a catalyst which makes a married couple (Allison Tolman and Dan Warner) realize the barrenness of their marriage, in “Where It Went.”
In “Story of Hope,” a young woman (Marina Benedict) waits till it’s too late to answer a crucial question from a man who loved her (Steve Fite). And in “Seeing the Thing,” a sexually unaware tomboy (Nell Teare) is hilariously awakened by kisses from a long-time would-be boy-friend (Lester Purry).
Director Papazian serves up a slick and delectable series of comic turns, and he has assembled a cast of 18 accomplished actors for the occasion. All of them acquit themselves with charm and style.
The elegant black and white set by Joseph Hodges features a snowy landscape, complete with frosty, abstract trees and twinkling stars, within which all the other sets are placed.
Pumpkin Eater Productions at The Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlwyd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Dec. 21. (323) 960-7770, https://www.plays411.com/almostmaine.
