ALMOST, MAINE by John Cariani (Little Tiny Things). At the Tarragon Extra Space (30 Bridgman). To May 15. $21. See Continuing. Rating: NNNN
The modern romantic comedy is usually the domain of film, but U.S. playwright John Cariani proves you don’t need Jennifer Aniston to tug at heartstrings.[rssbreak]
He demonstrates real affection for the genre in Almost, Maine, a charming series of vignettes about couples finding or losing love.
In a tiny, freezing town in “the only state attached to only one state,” half a dozen couples do everything from sharing a first kiss or encountering an ex to falling (literally) in love.
Cariani has a good ear and eye for the absurd: a misspelled tattoo, a broken heart carried around in a paper bag. Director Jennifer Copping ensures these details don’t feel as precious or twee as they sound.
Some of the scenes feel like audition pieces (Cariani’s also an actor), but that’s a compliment. There are layers of subtext beneath the dialogue, and Copping and cast mine them successfully, mixing tones and moods with skill.
It was a good move to cast six actors instead of the play’s usual four. We don’t tire of the performers, and each still gets to show off his or her range. Shanda Bezic’s terrific as a guilt-ridden widow, cheerful bartender and working-class woman who’s never been kissed, while Mike Lobel impresses as a man who claims he can’t be hurt, a guy whose feelings for his buddy surprise him and the hapless dude in the play’s prologue and epilogue.
Kate Spurgeon’s excellent as women who have left or are about to leave bad relationships, while Lauren Lipson is lovely as a woman who finally gets back to the man who proposed to her.
The production fits beautifully into the intimate Tarragon Extra Space, where Anne-Marie Polistuk and Victor Gomez’s set and lighting design establish just the right moods for these memorable Maine events.
glenns@nowtoronto.com
