Archbishop Jordan High has a hit ... Almost
Witty, fun and character-driven play a success
The poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once said: “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” Nowhere does this ring more true than in the middle-of-nowhere town of Almost, Maine. The students of Archbishop Jordan High School left the audience with laughs in their throats and tears in their eyes after this rollercoaster of a production.
Almost, Maine consists of nine short sketches set on the same cold, starry night, in the same small, snowy town that is so tiny it’s barely there.
It’s just … Almost. Written by John Cariani, the play premièred at Portland Stage Company and has since won the hearts of audiences all over North America.
It unveils the many faces of love, heartache and clumsy first words. If anyone has felt their cheeks on fire after a first kiss, or had their heart shatter into 19 pieces, this is a story all about them.
The multi-faceted cast created an incredible number of quirky and relatable characters through their natural body language and ingenious use of space.
Each scene offered both tension and laughter with honest performances. Of the vignettes, Seeing The Thing was an audience favourite, featuring Farhaat Abdulla as Dave and Brianne Klingspon as Rhonda. Their witty banter was delivered effortlessly, sculpting a humorous, sincere depiction of friendship and beyond.
Perhaps the mos t memorable aspect of the entire production was the intricate set design.
Braden Welsh and Gareth Davies designed the rotating set, creating a student-built masterpiece.
It included several artfully decorated buildings and interiors, arranged in a thoughtful manner that allowed for fluid movement both during and between scenes.
Details and props were minimal, but each was valuable to the storyline, placed to set the mood for each sketch. Sets varied widely, including a living room, a backyard and a front porch, all of which were skilfully put together, making the audience forget entirely that a handful of high school students had scaled the twometre set to build the aweinspiring atmosphere of this small town.
Other remarkable aspects of the production included stage management and lighting.
It is often said that the best stage management crew is the one you don’t notice at all, and Archbishop Jordan’s crew did a spectacular job moving the story fluidly and efficiently.
The crew was incredibly organized, transporting the audience into the story right from the start.
Throughout the whole production, mishaps in planning were virtually imperceptible, a true feat for a high school show. Archbishop Jordan Theatre was touching in this poignant performance, shattering the walls we build around our hearts. They reminded us that true love is honest, awkward and terribly inconvenient, but somehow, at the end of the day, it’s Almost perfect.