Theater review: 'Almost Maine' gets new Hilltop space off to good start
One of the inherent difficulties of staging a play full of vignettes, such as “Almost, Maine” — a comedy-drama from the new Harrison Hilltop Theatre — is that it’s often a very hit-and-miss affair.
And such is the case for director Chris Walljasper and the six young cast members he’s assembled.
There are only a few moments of out-and-out hearty laughter to be found, but many of the scenes still will leave you with at least a smile.
Set in the same small town in Maine — the only common denominator is mentions of the same characters, the same bar and the almost-expletive “Jeez ‘n’ crow” — the nine scenes show different couples at various stages in the uphill and downhill sides of relationships.
Particularly effective, and gaining the most laughs, are the final scene, with J.W. Hertner and Jaci Entwistle as male-female snowmobile buddies who decide to advance their relationship; and the second-act opener, with Hertner and Daniel Schaub as pals in a bit that almost turns into a slapstick version of “Brokeback Mountain.”
Several of the scenes are melancholy, such as Schaub and Jessica Stratton in a painful moment as a married couple nearing the end of their relationship; Annie Shortridge and Schaub as a couple who meet while she’s camped out in his yard; James Bleeker and Shortridge as a couple who are reunited on his doorstep; and Hertner and Stratton as a couple who run into each other in the back room of a bar, where she’s at her bachelorette party.
In three to four roles each, the six actors — already veterans of several of the new area theater companies — play the material with a knowledge beyond their ages. (According to the playwright’s Web site, it can be performed with anywhere from four to 19 actors.)
Walljasper makes the most of his surroundings in the new theater at 16th and Harrison streets in Davenport, a former bank building. Second-floor windows are used effectively in several scenes, and some entrances and exits are made by actors actually going outside. One bank of spotlights doesn’t add much to the theatricality of the show, but it is effective for the mood of the show at times.
It’s the first show in the new building after debuting recently at the Green Room Theatre in Rock Island. The Harrison location used by Walljasper and co-founder Tristan Layne Tapscott is freshly painted on the inside, and a rummage-sale mish-mash of chairs are available for the audience seating.
If “Almost, Maine” is any indication, Harrison Hilltop is off to a promising start.
IF YOU GO
What: “Almost, Maine” by Harrison Hilltop Theatre
When: 8 p.m. today through Saturday, July 26
Where: Harrison Hilltop Theatre, 1601 Harrison St., Davenport
How much: $10
Information: HarrisonHilltop.com on the Web
David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.