Theater Review: Almost Maine

By Emily Aylett, photo by Eric Heise

They say the path to true love never runs smoothly and that’s exactly what Shanghai’s original English theater troupe; East West Theater’s latest production puts under the spotlight as they present their version of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine.

This captivating romantic comedy takes place under the glare of the Northern Lights in a fictional town in Maine. Here, nine separate tales of love, marriage, loss and confusion are played out in a cold wintery setting by actors who seem adept at grasping their subject matter.

Held in the industrial creative space at Strictly Designers United , the setting and props are minimal, centred around a single bench with the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) shining down from above. A bells and whistles production it is not – but the real show here comes from the actors, each playing at least three different characters each during the play with great distinction. Awesta Zarif shines as a bored wife struggling to get through to her husband and Aaron Garcia gives a very convincing take on a small town boy jilted by his ex-girlfriend.

With scenes named (amongst others) Her Heart, Where It Went and This Hurts, it’s likely audiences will be able to relate to many of the stories which portray electrifying arguments, beautiful descriptions of regret and amusing confessions of admiration.

Twenty characters falling in and out of love at the same time played by only six actors is no mean feat, but the cast make it looks easy. Serious preparation has gone into the production which results in plenty of laughter and amusement for the audience. Expect lots of kissing, begging, shouting and some spoof domestic violence too.

The whole show is packaged with wonderful singing from the vocally gifted Emily Clark. Spectators are treated to renditions of Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ at the start of the performance, a Britney classic during the intermission and after the final scene, she comes back to end things on a high note with a fun version of ‘Don’t Worry be Happy’. Good advice if you ask us.

// Almost Maine runs Feb 14-16, 20-21 and 23, 8pm. Strictly Designers United, Building A, 55 Fuxing Dong Lu, by Zhongshan Nan Lu 复兴东路55号, 近中山南路  (182 0216 4553, east.west.info@gmail.com)