Review: ALMOST, MAINE at Wichita Community Theatre

You certainly won’t find the location of Almost, Maine on any map. That’s because the inhabitants of this upper Maine settlement never bothered to properly incorporate their area into a town. That’s a clue for what lies ahead in Almost, Maine, which opened this weekend at Wichita Community Theatre. The clever uplifting play is a collection of brief vignettes, loosely linked and confined to this remote area. As imagined by playwright John Cariani, Almost, Maine is often as mysterious as its title. Twenty-one actors play various townsfolk who come and go in nine scenes.

Almost, Maine was written in 2004 and explores love and loss in this tiny mythical town.  Since its publication in 2007, it has become one of the most highly performed plays for community and educational theatres nationwide.  In fact, this is the second time Wichita Community Theatre has performed the romantic comedy.  The light-hearted character-driven stories are often laugh-out-loud funny and charming, while others are somewhat bittersweet.  It’s the perfect choice for Wichita Community Theatre and for this particular time of the year, as love amid the freezing cold isn’t far from our minds in south central Kansas in December.

Under the able direction of Abri Geist, the ensemble cast of twenty-one portrays the town’s inhabitants. They deliver the finest performances with a sense of natural ease and comedic timing.  Such comedic timing is crucial in scenes that include a woman who carries her shattered heart in a brown paper bag while en route to make peace with her recently departed husband, whose spirit she’s seeking in the Northern Lights; a neighborhood bar where you drink for free if you’re sad; a woman who delivers all her boyfriend’s love back to him in large trash bags; a bickering married couple pretending to enjoy a skating date night but are really waiting for the other shoe to drop; and best friends who only realize they are in love after they keep falling in front of each other.

As a collection of vignettes rather than a traditional plot-driven play, Almost, Maine relies heavily on the strength of its writing and performances. Director Geist directs with a magical touch and brings strong energy to the production. Her character work is thoughtful, helping the eccentric residents of Almost feel like real people despite their quirks.

In “Prologue,” Pete (Colton Farmer) and Ginette (Bellaly Escalante) sit at opposite ends of the staging area. The scene is the shortest and features the least dialogue of the evening — but that doesn’t mean it lacks substance. Ginette professes her love for Pete, who is dumbstruck and speechless. The actors convey the story through subtle expressions, with both communicating emotion without saying a word. Their performances build a brief but meaningful moment that actually concludes later in Act Two. The scene is a testament to the power of silence. Dialogue could not have created the same chemistry between the two characters, proving that, less is more. The scene also highlights a recurring device used by playwright Cariani: repetition.

Next, we meet East (Joe Parrish) and Glory (Crystal Meek) in the scene titled “Her Heart.” Glory invades East’s front yard to see the Northern Lights. She carries her shattered heart in a brown paper bag, a symbol of her grief for her late husband. Meek brings strength and emotional range to the role, making Glory a compelling and unpredictable presence. Parrish, by contrast, plays East as bewildered but earnest; his expressions are often funnier than the dialogue. His character eventually pivots, and he handles the change with skill. The scene is one of the evening’s most polished and emotionally cohesive.

Israel Carreno and Nicole Araiza shine in “Sad and Glad,” which follows a former couple reuniting at a bar. The scene captures every awkward moment and shifting emotion, moving from humor to the quiet heartbreak of realizing that some relationships aren’t meant to be rekindled. Both actors handle the emotional complexity with nuance.  Janet Davis’s salty waitress character is charming.

“This Hurts” featured Eddie Spurlock as a kind man who can feel no pain as he was bashed in the head with an ironing board wielded by Ariel Dillon.  But can he feel love?  A well-played scene by Dillon and Spurlock.

In “Getting It Back,” Gayle (Jill Nicole Herbert) demands all the love back that she gave her boyfriend Lendall (Jyavon Hill).  This scene has always been one of my favorites, and this powerhouse couple performed it well.

Cariani’s script has been updated to include either a male couple or a female couple for the “They Fell” vignette.  Director Geist wisely chose to use both scenes.  Theoden Arden Vail and Nathaniel Schmucker appeared as the male couple, Randy and Chad, while Vonda Schuster and Ashley McCracken appeared as the female couple, Shelly and Deena.  Both scenes played well and garnered audience laughter.

In “Where It Went,” Ben Blankley and Viv Legorreta portray a married couple grappling with lost love, symbolized by a missing shoe. The husband is consumed by work and inattentiveness and has let his marriage drift. The wife is strong yet desperate to repair the relationship. The actors complement each other well in this heartbreaking scene.

In “Story of Hope,” Hope (Kate Compton) plays a woman who returns several years later to say “yes” to an ignored marriage proposal from Danny (Kevin Sowers) but finds out that she is much too late.   There is good chemistry between Sowers and Compton.

But the evening is truly complete with the comedic scene, “Seeing the Thing.”  Dave (Matthew Neises) has painted a picture depicting his affection for Rhonda (Cydnee A. Reese).  The intangible emotion both characters are trying to find hits a chord with the audience.  When the words, “I love you” are spoken, the audience sits in suspense to see if a confirmation is returned. It’s not the romantic sequence one might expect, as the couple peels off multiple layers of their winter clothing down to their long johns, but it brought the house down!

As audience members enter the theatre space, they are welcomed with fun, whimsical Christmas décor. Artist Hanson Long has created a winter wonderland with his painted scene-scapes.  All of this comes to life with a simple carousel set design by Mark Shobe, with minimal set dressings being carried on and off to clearly show time and space.  Joseph Heil’s lighting design strikingly crafted the feel of a spectacular show of the Northern Lights, which adds beautiful color and atmosphere to the scenes.  Kevin Sowers’ exceptional sound design was spot on.  At one point during the production, my spouse leaned over and said, “ I love this music!  Each song fits the scene perfectly.”  Costumes are fitting, and capture the cold, wintry setting, though many in the audience may not have welcomed the reminder of winter outside while inside the warm theatre. Technically, this production does a lot with very little and keeps the focus on the characters, which is exactly where it should be.

It goes without saying that Almost, Maine is a perfect date-night destination. Even long-time married couples will find the show to be a heart-warming delight. That’s a lot to offer on a cold night, whether in Maine or in Wichita.

The production runs through December 14, 2025.  Reservations can be made by going to the WCT website at www.WichitaCT.org