Almost, Maine

This is a review I did for the Dixie State College Theater's production of Almost, Maine. This will run in the next issue of the DSC Sun.

Almost, Maine gives a different spin on phrases like “I fell for you,” “the other shoe dropped,” and “I lost a lot of hope.”

These are just a few examples of from John Cariani’s Almost, Maine, which premiered on the black box stage in the Eccles Fine Arts building on October 1st.

Whatever it was I was expecting wasn’t what I got. The show is mostly a comedy, but it’s also a drama as well as a love story. In fact, it’s nine stories that take place at the exact same time in a little place in Maine that was “almost” a town. Like the town, the realism of the events that happen there is “almost.” The show is just outside the realm of believability.

This vision was realized and executed by Varlo Davenport, director, and an all-student production team.

Davenport said, “This was an opportunity for acting students to get a lot of varied experience.” He said that everything was student designed, from the scenery to the costumes. The musical interludes were composed by the head of the costume shop, Andrea Davenport.

The cast had an obviously grand time putting this show together. I dropped by the make-up room backstage at the Eccles to try and pry a few quotes from the cast members. While I’m sure they took the show seriously, I don’t think they took my questions seriously.

“Doing this show was like sniffing crushed-up candy hearts,” Hannah Davenport said.
I can only assume she meant the entire experience was like an intense sugar rush.

Crystal Bates said, “I’ve learned many a ninja move.”

These are just a couple examples of the atmosphere in the dressing room.

Curtain time was coming, so I took my seat. The Black Box theater was decked out to be a winter woodland scene. I was impressed with the backdrop that surrounded the audience. It made me feel as if I was in a twilit wood in the middle of December. The temperature in the theater was sub-zero, and added to the effect.

I found out later the reason for the blasting AC was because the actors are always dressed in full-winter attire, and Davenport said that it’s going to be a matter of finding the perfect setting where the audience and the cast are both comfortable.

It took me the entire show to get the very first scene. Let me help out those of you who go to see the show. Sitting next to someone is the furthest away from them you can possibly be, IF you are measuring the distance around the world to each other.

The show was entertaining, but to me it felt as if the writer threw together nine short scenes and called it a play. When I see I play I often try to identify with a character and end up rooting for them throughout the story. In these nine short scenes, by the time I found the character I wanted to identify with, the scene was over.

I must commend the performances of Kristina Kessler, sophomore theater arts major from St. George, as Glory, Joel Thomas, senior theater arts major from Washington, as Chad, Hannah Davenport, integrated studies major from St. George as both Marvalyn and Rhonda, Crystal Bates, junior theater arts major from St. George as Gayle and Guy Smith, sophomore theater arts major, as Dave. All of these performances made me laugh out loud, and I was very sad when their characters were gone. These are the type of actors that make a theater department great. Keep up the good work guys!

One actor that was missing from the cast was Scott Pederson, who was a part of the show but lost his life while saving his two sons from drowning this summer.

“The neatest thing is the connection we all had to Scott,” Joel Thomas said. “He was cast in the show before the tragic accident. It’s like we’re all doing the show to make Scott laugh.”
The show runs through October 10th, and tickets are only $1 with your student ID card.