If you had told me before I walked in to watch Wofford Theatre’s production of “Almost, Maine” that I would have almost cried by the time I walked out, I’m not sure if I would have believed you.
“Almost, Maine” is a play that looks inward through outward visuals, using motifs and incredible acting on the part of those in the play to explore what it is like to live and love in the world today.
The experience of the play starts as soon as you walk into the theater, with the seating set up directly on stage, and the simple but detailed set to immerse the average playgoer within the setting of the fictional setting of Almost, Maine.
As the play starts, actors enter from every side of you, and you are suddenly engulfed within the tale of 8 relationships, ranging from strangers, friends, exes and everything in between.
“Almost, Maine” has a story for almost any type of relationship struggle or dilemma you can think of. As a very single hopeless romantic who loves a good comedy special, it was a perfectly timed reminder that life is not linear, much less are relationships.
The individual stories are balanced separately while also managing to come together in a way that makes perfect sense, and, by the end of the play, you are left with a sense of hope and fullness that is a wonderfully warm way to end the night before venturing back into the cold outdoors.
Together with the actors, you will have looked at your own relationships, your friend’s relationships and everything in between. You will have laughed through most of it, wanted to cry for some of it, and will have been enraptured by all of it.
No matter what stage of life you are in, no matter what your relationship status, there’s something you can relate to in this play, I can almost guarantee it. The perfectly bookended beginning and ending scenes, plus the absolute realness of every single situation and the emotions that come with them being beautifully displayed, was enough to make me almost cry. Almost.
With the range of freshman to senior actors, and a freshman stage manager at that, Wofford Theatre put on an outstanding play, aided by gorgeous lighting and sets, all managed through Wofford’s own talented students.
I have no qualms. Neither does my friend who quite literally saw every single night of the play without getting bored. She walked away loving it more each time, and, honestly, she’s a real one for that.
On a real note, “Almost, Maine” made me think and feel in a way that no play has ever done for me. I absolutely adored this play, and I would go back and watch it again in a heartbeat. I know that as soon as possible, I will be watching any and all productions put on by Wofford’s theatre department.
Whether with tears of laughter or sadness, I am confident that, if the theatre department continues producing the work they produced with “Almost, Maine,” I will walk out of that thearet with tears shed very soon.
