Matters of the heart rule in 'Almost Maine'
The Butler Little Theatre's next production, "Almost Maine" by John Cariani, is a strange kind of love story where broken hearts are healed and the hopeless find reason to hope again.
The play is directed by Stefan Lingenfelter and produced by Kristin Bearer and will open on Jan. 22.
The cast includes Alison Carey, Whitney Ann Jenkins, Jim Kasparek, Michelina Anne Pollini and Aaron Zimmerman.
Interestingly, each cast member plays multiple characters appearing throughout the production.
Carey of Butler plays two roles.
"I play Sandrine who has an awkward meeting with her ex-boyfriend and Marci who is coming to the realization that her marriage isn't working," Carey said.
"I really enjoy my scene as Marci. I think the husband, played by Jim Kasparek, and the wife in the scene are sympathetic characters that the audience will be able to relate to. They aren't bad people, they just don't fit together.
"The scene feels real to me," Carey added.
Jenkins dons multiple hats in the show.
"I portray Ginette, Marvalyn and Hope," said Jenkins, who said such a situation can be tricky.
"The script is a little challenging because of the way that it is written. There is a lot of overlapping dialogue, the dialogue is very conversational, so you really have to know the story inside and out," she said.
For Bearer, the producer, the dialogue is the least of her worries. The sets and scene changes are the center of her focus.
"There are many small scenes and half of them are set outside," said Bearer of Butler Township.
"There is special lighting, the Northern lights, that is used throughout the show also," she added.
"Almost, Maine" is comprised of vignettes. Each scene takes place at the exact same time: at 9 o'clock on a cold, clear, moonless, slightly surreal Friday night in the middle of the deepest part of northern Maine winter.
When questioned about the play, Lingenfelter, the director, said, "Imagine the whimsy and romance of 'Northern Exposure' with the strange and clever twists of 'The Twilight Zone'"
Lingenfelter claims the play is an exploration of the heart.
"This play is a collection of loosely connected extraordinary scenes about the lives of the ordinary people who dwell in the imaginary town in the most northeastern spot of Maine ... Almost," he added.
Lingenfelter moved here about a year ago from New York City where he performed and directed professionally for a number of years with several stage credits. He starred off-Broadway in the title role of "Young Abe Lincoln," Tom in "The Great Brain" and as Claude in the European tour of "Hair." Most recently, he appeared as Lenny Ganz in BLT's production of "Rumors."
He said he saw "Almost, Maine" in New York during its off-Broadway stint and loved it.
The show opens Jan. 22. Tickets are available beginning today for the general public.
<B>WHO: </B>Butler Little Theatre<B>WHAT: </B>"Almost Maine" by John Cariani<B>WHEN: </B>Jan. 22 to 30. Curtain is at 8:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.<B>WHERE: </B>One Howard St.<B>TICKETS: </B>$10; call 724-287-6781 between 7 and 9 p.m. beginning today<B>INFORMATION: </B>www.bltgroup.org
