Theater Jones
Runtime: Two hours with one intermission
In one scene in John Cariani's play Almost, Maine—a collection of vignettes about love, relationships and loss—a character has a broken heart. Really. She carries its smashed slate pieces in a bag, unsure whether to glue them back together.
If only it were that easy.
That's just one beaut of a love metaphor taken to simplistic literalization in this charming play, now enjoying a thoughtfully paced production at Theatre Arlington, under the direction of Michael Serrecchia. In these scenarios, folks afraid of being hurt are knocked on the head by everyday objects, and when two guys fall for each other, they physically collapse to the ground. All of these characters share a loneliness that is only compounded by the desolation of the wintry climes of northern Maine, where below-zero temps are commonplace.
Serrecchia's cast - B.J. Cleveland, Marisa Diotalevi, Becca Shivers and Ted Wold - are all comically gifted, but smart enough to let their funny sides fizz just below the aching on the surface. Even when the proceedings become predictable—as in the epilogue where you just know that the character Ginette (Shivers) will take Pete's (Cleveland) prologue suggestion to heart—it's always a little bit of a surprise.
The design team (Beverly Murray's costumes, Jack Hardaway's set, Ana Petit's lighting) capture the snowy solitude beautifully. It's enough to break your heart.
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