For a Moment, We Were Almost Mainers

— A review by Lin McNulty —

Last Weekend! Friday, Saturday, Sunday at The Grange, 7:30 p.m.:

Tony Lee (Chad) and Freddy Hinkle (Randy) slappin’ back a few beers on a cold winter night. Photo: Chris Thomerson

Jeezum Crow! It was perfect! On opening night of “Almost, Maine,” we were all Mainers. Due to the sub-freezing temperatures outside, the attire of the audience matched the costuming of the cast, as we were all dressed in multiple layers, scarves, and hats.

Located in Northern Maine, the town of Almost seems so familiar; they were just missing an island.

This directorial debut of Melinda Milligan (of Olga Symphony fame) is an absolute must-see. She skillfully gathered a cast of 19 to fill the roles of these loveable, delightful characters. As she states in her Director’s Notes, “we tried to create [a] sense of community in our rehearsals, having potluck food, playing games, creating performances just for each other, and even spending an evening together as our characters.” It paid off! The closeness and sense of community with these actors was palpable. The audience instantly fell in love with each character—even the supposed bad ones.

Scene changes were accompanied by live musicians (also dressed in layers) Rachel Bishop, Tashi Litch, and Kaj Litch who all provided an additional layer of homey folksiness to the performance. On December 8, they will be joined by Dave Zoeller (also of Olga Symphony fame).

I’m struggling with how to convey how much I enjoyed not just the stories but also the acting in this play without spoiling the story lines. There are so many surprises in these turns of plot. It is perhaps one of the best-written plays I have ever attended. I can see exactly why Melinda chose this for our Orcas audience.

Eleven scenes, seemingly coincidental, depict one cold winter night in this small town of Almost, Maine. And it seems that everyone in town is either falling in, or out, of love.

There is no star in this production. It is a heart-warming, tight-knit ensemble of pure joy, each actor equally appealing in his or her role. Even the newcomers to the stage—Akarya, Sky Bear Aguilar, Lauren Ferrell, and Kelly Toombs—were perfectly at ease and believable as their characters.

They were joined by Actors Theater veterans—Aimee Johnson, Cara Russell, Suzanne Groper, Brian Richard, Kira Bradshaw, Kevin Doyle, Katie Zwilling, Freddy Hinkle, Mike Buckner, Tom Gossett, Tony Lee, Ron and Rebecca Herman, Audra Goffeney, and Tom Fiscus—to complete this familiar snapshot of small town living.

Okay. One possible spoiler alert: The most poignant scene had no dialogue. That’s good acting!

Almost, Maine continues at The Grange on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, December 7 and 8. And next weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 13, 14, and 15. All performances are at 7:30. Tickets are available at Darvills, at the door, and online from brownpapertickets.

Did I say Jeezum Crow? Yep. And I meant it. Please don’t miss this!