“Almost, Maine”

[rating=3] Do you enjoy watching the Hallmark Station? During the holidays do you scramble to watch all the love stories geared around Christmas? These movies are pretty much all the same. Only the names and towns are unique ( and even then, no so much!). Most of you know that I am a great supporter of a little theater company, Oil Lamp, in downtown Glenview. This little, intimate space, is divine and the work they do, for the most part, are plays that you will never see anywhere else!

FYI- That is not a bad thing! In fact, it may be a good thing. In today’s crazy world where we are almost genderless and many people are confused as to whether and actor is a “he”, “She”, “they” or “them”, it is nice to attend a play where we know who is who and what is what and who wans to do what with who ( or is it whom?). Oil Lamp has on its stage a play that will bring a little Hallmark to you as well as some very lovely little vignettes that are quite Hallmark in spirit .The play is called “Almost, Maine”. It is the actual name of a town in the state as written by playwright John Cariani. At first I thought it was a misprint, but in the actual show it is mentioned so let’s leave it at that.

“Almost, Maine” is a series of little stories and scenes dealing with love and relationship (s). Directed with great skill by Susan Gorman, the cast of four very strong actors takes us on many journeys dealing with love and relationships. I told you it was “Hallmark snippets”. Some of the stories continue through the entire play, taking us back and forth. Others are just one or two visits but these four actors pull it off. The script itself is so-so, but the ability of the actors and the skill of the director allows the audience to truly feel that they are peering into the lives of young lovers.

We, the audience, get to observe love, loss, heartbreak, joy and of the greatest importance people discovering themselves. I was very impressed with Eileen Dixon, Whitney Minarik, Zach Kunde and Rio Ragazzone. Each plays a multitude of roles and there are a few times where you might get confused. If you pay attention to the changes of the evergreen trees ( after, all, this is Maine), it will help you recall who and what happened earlier. The best scenes are ones that truly will surprise you and while I would love to tell you more, I must leave the element of surprise on the back burner.

The set is pretty simple, but the props make a big difference, so hats off to Brian C. Seekfort for a job well done. The costumes (Janelle L. Smith) and lighting (Hannah Wien) add to the story and while the actors are not wearing microphones ( as we see in many theaters), the sound (Jay Pastucha) does carry to the back of the house ( we sat in the next to last row and I did not wear my hearing aids- never missed a line!).

“Almost , Maine” will continue at The Oil Lamp Theater located at 1723 West Glenview Road ( just west of Route 43/Waukegan Rd) thru February 26th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and  7:30 p.m.

Sundays  3 p.m.

Tickets are $45 ( $28 for students) and are available at www.oillamptheater.org or call 847-834-0738

They have their own parking lot and street parking is readily available.

They are no longer a BYOB, but have a full service bar for your pleasure.

Run time two hours with a 15 minute intermission.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Almost,Maine”.