A Warm Offering By

TheatreWorks New Milford

By Julie Stern

NEW MILFORD — Almost, Maine is an unincorporated township (which never got around to forming its own government) in Aroostook County, Maine. Located some 300 miles north of Portland, with a population density of 11 people per square mile, Aroostook has an average annual snowfall of 115 inches, and an average January temperature of 9 degrees Fahrenheit.

John Cariani’s delightful tribute to northern Maine and its hardy inhabitants consists of eight vignettes, each capturing a moment of realization that occurs between two people during a brief encounter, with each taking place on a stage that has been magically transformed into woods on a snowy evening, with a sky that flickers with the promise of the northern lights. TheatreWorks New Milford is currently presenting a very good take on the story.

A woman from the city sets up a tent in the front yard of a lonely repairman, in the hopes of seeing the lights; a married couple realize that they are both unhappy; a man runs into his ex-girlfriend on the night of her bachelorette party; two good buddies who work at the local plant figure out that they care more for each other than the girls they are dating; a woman returns to her hometown in the hope of reconnecting with the guy she jilted…

Director (and set designer) Glen Couture has done a fantastic job managing his cast of eight- mostly newcomers to the New Milford stage.  Christopher Smith, Kelly McMurray, Michael Ritts, Robin Maitland, David Martin, Adrienne Marra Brown, Michael Wright and Stacy-Lee Erickson make their characters believable and genuine, funny and moving by turns, until you forget that you are watching a play because these are such real people. They are lonely, they reach out, they look for love. These are mostly new faces that we certainly ought to see more of in the future.

Nobody is listed as being credited for the costuming but the characters look right out of L.L. Bean, and in their layers of parkas, vests, long underwear and boots, they add to the feeling of a northern winter, where the warmth you really need will come only from the arms of another human being.

While Almost, Maine is not the traditional kind of holiday show, it works beautifully, capturing the spirit and beauty of the winter solstice. It is highly entertaining, original, and definitely makes you feel good. Like the lights on a Christmas tree, this is a show that brightens the darkness of a winter night, and a great place to go on a chilly evening.

(Performances run Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoons, until January 8. There are no shows scheduled for December 24-25, but there is a New Year’s Eve gala planned.

See the Enjoy Calendar or call 860-350-6863 for additional curtain and ticket details.)