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| Question about Almost, Maine (Stars in the House) - SPOILERS | |
| Posted by: mikem 03:59 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| I just watched Almost, Maine on Stars in the House. It was really well done. Not a script was in sight, and they had clearly rehearsed beforehand. There is very little physical action in the script, and it felt more like a play performance rather than a reading. I can see why the show is so popular, especially for teens. In the talkback afterwards, John Cariani, the playwright, said that part of the reason why the play is popular with high schools is because it's simple, and because teens understand loss and love. I wouldn't call the play "simple," but it's fairly straightforward and the characters are extremely relatable. They are "ordinary" in the best sense of the word. They don't have any special gifts and are in situations that teens can understand and relate to. And Cariani gives them each a strong characterization. With the possible exception of the girlfriend in the framing device and the waitress in one scene, the other 17 characters are all given enough meat that any teen would be happy to play them. Having 17 parts of substance that are roughly equal in lines is a high school drama teacher's dream! I had a question. When a "magic realism" event occurred, the screen changed to a night-time sky with a wind effect, then moved back to the actors after a few seconds. Is there some variant of this in the script, where these events are underlined like that? It seemed unnecessary. Any thoughts about Almost, Maine? |
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| i have not seen it on stage - SPOILERS | |
| Last Edit: dramedy 05:55 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| Posted by: dramedy 05:54 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: Question about Almost, Maine (Stars in the House) - SPOILERS - mikem 03:59 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| I believe all of the stories take place within a 30 minute time period in one evening. So the girl in the field sets up that she is there to see the northern lights. I believe that just happens at the same point in several of the stories being told and the actors are basically pausing to look up at the northern lights when it happens and then continue with the dialog. So I don't think it is a magic realism--but an actual event that draws their attention to the sky almost linking the different stories to one particular point in time. As for the reading, it is one of the few that worked because it is basically only two characters interacting most of the time. It was worth watching. |
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| re: i have not seen it on stage - SPOILERS | |
| Posted by: mikem 07:26 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: i have not seen it on stage - SPOILERS - dramedy 05:54 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| I am curious now what the text says. I don't think that the sky/wind effect was supposed to be indicating that the actors were looking at the sky, because the one that happens during the scene with the two guys happens right after the second guy falls, and at that time, neither character is looking up. But the text may help shed some light. | |
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| re: Question about Almost, Maine (Stars in the House) - SPOILERS | |
| Posted by: Circlevet 04:49 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: Question about Almost, Maine (Stars in the House) - SPOILERS - mikem 03:59 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| I saw this when it was at what is now called the Daryl Roth theater several years ago. As my friend and I left the theater my friend exclaimed "There is treacle running down the isles." My sentiments exactly. |
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| Almost liked Almost Maine | |
| Posted by: Genealley 04:38 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: Question about Almost, Maine (Stars in the House) - SPOILERS - mikem 03:59 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| I thought the actors were all fine. Very professional. Yes, I didn't quite get the "magic realism" effect also. And was the multi-cultural casting part of this magic realism. I mean, it is deep-country Maine. I also was a bit misunderstanding of the "ring" section. Were there 2 rings? What did I miss? |
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| re: Almost liked Almost Maine | |
| Posted by: mikem 07:28 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: Almost liked Almost Maine - Genealley 04:38 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| I don't think there were supposed to be 2 rings. I think the "handoff" was imperfect, so it made it seem like there were two, but I believe there is only supposed to be 1. Of all the scenes, I didn't really like that one. It seemed that the couple had issues they needed to work on, and getting engaged is not solving their issues. |
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| re: Almost liked Almost Maine | |
| Posted by: StageLover 07:07 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: Almost liked Almost Maine - Genealley 04:38 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| "And was the multi-cultural casting part of this magic realism. I mean, it is deep-country Maine." Don't know if you got the memo, but it's actually OK to cast someone who isn't white. Hope you didn't see HAMILTON. It might give you seizures. |
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| Nope - didn't get the memo | |
| Last Edit: Genealley 08:41 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| Posted by: Genealley 08:39 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Almost liked Almost Maine - StageLover 07:07 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| Probably would have thrown it away. I'm just waiting for the multi-cultural Porgy and Bess and Ain't Misbehavin. And yes, I saw Hamilton. It was born that way... |
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| re: Nope - didn't get the memo | |
| Posted by: StageLover 10:27 am EDT 07/03/20 | |
| In reply to: Nope - didn't get the memo - Genealley 08:39 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| That makes you both glib and racist. | |
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| THIS POST IS RACIST. | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 04:50 am EDT 07/03/20 | |
| In reply to: Nope - didn't get the memo - Genealley 08:39 pm EDT 07/02/20 | |
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| “Probably would have thrown it away. I'm just waiting for the multi-cultural Porgy and Bess and Ain't Misbehavin.“ Check the memo again. And this time, instead of throwing it away, maybe consider, y’know, reading it. Just an idea. |
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