Penobscot Theatre Company’s production of John Cariani’s love letter to his hometown of Presque Isle in Aroostook County is funny, heartfelt and, for the most part, joyous. The show, made up of nine vignettes about love and loss, is warm enough to melt the snow off the Bangor Opera House.
“Almost, Maine” is full of characters who “take time to wonder about things. They speak simply, honestly, truly, from the heart,” Cariani states in his notes for the play. Director Jen Shepard, the company’s artistic director, wrings every ounce of that from this production.
From a woman who carries her broken heart in a paper bag to a man who can’t feel pain to a couple going through a rough patch to friends who discover they love each other, these vivid characters are true Mainers and familiar to anyone who’s lived in the Pine Tree State for more than a year.
The company last performed the show in 2006.
“Almost, Maine” has been produced more than 6,000 times since its premiere in 2004 at Portland Stage. In Spring 2023, six Maine high schools performed it. The playwright has updated it three times to keep it current, including same-sex couple relationships. L/A Community Little Theatre also is performing the show later this month in Auburn.
The cast of five — Ben Layman, Kae Cooney, Jenny Hart, Luke Myers and Angela Atwood — portray various characters in the short scenes. The first, “Her Heart,” and the last, “Seeing the Thing” are the most memorable with Layman a standout in both.
Few modern plays give actors the opportunity to play more than one character but Cariani allows directors to use an ensemble of actors to play very different roles or cast 19 different performers in each part. Shepherd took the ensemble approach with very fine and effective results.
Four of the cast members are familiar to theatergoers. Layman, who has appeared in dozens of PTC shows, most recently starred last fall in the spooky “Turn of the Screw.” Cooney and Hart appeared together in the season opener, “Steel Magnolias,” in September, while Myers played Mr. Burns and Sideshow Bob in the mind blowing “Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play” in 2024. Atwood is a New York City-based actress who is making her debut with the company.
Every cast member performs delightfully in multiple roles, giving each character depth and dignity. There are no stereotypes to be found.
Scenic Designer Alivia Cross, Costume Design Kacie Gerow, Lighting Designer JP Sedlock and Projection Designer Arturo Gamacho created a forest on stage under twinkling stars and shining planets with a house on one side of the stage and a bar on the other. Gamacho’s looming moose projection is especially effective at transporting the audience to the North Maine Woods.
“Almost, Maine” will be followed by Cariani’s recent companion piece, “Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars.” It takes place on a summer night when the Perseid meteor shower fills the sky with shooting stars and features a younger generation than the 30- and 40-something characters of “Almost, Maine.” The show will run in repertoire for a few days at the end of the month.
Penobscot Theatre Company’s production of “Almost, Maine” runs through Feb. 22 at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. “Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars” runs Feb. 18 through March 8. For more information, call 942-3333 or visit penobscottheatre.org.