Written Critique Response Form – Play of Your Choice

Written Critique Response Form – Play of Your Choice

Section A: Production Details

1. Name of play: Almost, Maine

2. Name of playwright(s): John Cariani

3. Name of theatre or production company: CenterStage North at The Art Place Mountain View

4. Name of director: Julie Taliaferro

5. Date you saw the play: February 21^st, 2019

Section B: Critical Response

Note: For this assignment, your answers to the following questions can be brief but should be specific and provide enough detail to convince me that you attended the play and have given thoughtful reflection to your viewing experience. You should use this written response as an outline for presenting your critique orally to the class.

1. What do you think the collaborating theatre artists (playwright, director, actors, designer), or the theatre company as a whole, is attempting to present or offer to the audience with this production? Please do not say “A night of entertainment”. Really think about why the company would choose this play, who is might appeal to, what is the message they are trying to get across by producing it here in Atlanta?

• I think the director and theatre production company choose this play to show how because February is Valentine’s Day, which calls attention to the state of everyone’s heartbroken, whole, bitter, smitten, unrequited, or undecided. As Valentine’s Day started to wrap up, a new reason to celebrate love came along with the production of “Almost, Maine” at the Art Place Mountain View. In most cases, love is magical. In “Almost, Maine,” love appears as lost and found as anyone trying to find the small town. The nine short love stories display all emotions that could be present when falling for that special someone.
  

2. Briefly note how well the collaborating theatre artists handled each of the areas outlined below, based on Aristotle’s “six elements of drama.”
   Consider how successful each area was,or was not, in helping to achieve the goal you just identified in Question 1.
   Make sure to state specific examples from the production you saw to support your statements and opinions about the relative success of the production.

When commenting on acting or directing, don’t simply make statements about whether it was “good” or “bad” – briefly explain why you made that assessment. For instance, the actors had believable connections with their partners, or the director achieved interesting pictures onstage through use of various levels or stage positions. For a review on tools that actors and directors use, see Chapters 7 and 8 in the textbook.

If you have questions or points about the production that were unclear to you, feel free to state these questions and points as part of your written response and/or oral discussion.

Cover all six of the following categories:

1. Plot (including the story and the arrangement or order in which the story unfolds)

The story is not continuous of each story, all the stories take place at the exact same time, so the only unity to create a plot is every scene is about love, but also every scene looks at a different aspect of this focal subject.

1. Character(including the characters as created by the playwright and as interpreted and performed by the actors)

There are 19 characters in total; 10 men, 9 women.

• Prologue – Pete & Ginette

A couple explores the distance between them.

• Her Heart – East & Glory

Glory finds herself in East’s yard as she waits for the Northern Lights.

• Sad and Glad – Jimmy & Sandrine

Sandrine enters an awkward situation after running into an ex.

• This Hurts – Steve & Marvalyn

An unlikely friendship begins with an incident in the laundry room.

• Getting It Back – Lendall & Gayle

Gayle wants the love she gave Lendall back.

• Interlogue – Pete & Ginette

Pete missed an opportunity.

• They Fell – Randy & Chad

Feelings change in this friendship.

• Where It Went – Phil & Marcy

A married couple waits for the other shoe to drop.

• Story of Hope – Daniel & Hope

Daniel lost hope.

• Seeing the Thing – Dave & Rhonda

Dave helps Rhonda see the most important thing.

• Epilogue – Pete & Ginette

Pete and Ginette can be close again.

1. Thought (important themes or messages; this is one area where you can consider the director’s success in bringing all elements together to highlight a theme or message)

“Almost” Maine Play is Love stories of 9 different couples, happening at the same time when the northern lights occur. Some of them have been dating for a while; some of them changed their relationship from friends to lovers, some has a happy ending, while others have a sad ending. The author describes this as a “very funny, very sad romance.” It highlights eight individual scenes that are theoretically all happening at the same time in an unorganized territory (“Almost”) of Maine. The dialogue and characters are pretty simple, but the overall effect is charming.

1. Diction(including the playwright’s use of language as well as the way in which the actors in this production handled the language, e.g., projection, handling of verse or dialects, etc.)

John Cariani makes many deliberate choices in his dialogue. He even makes notes of how the actors portraying these roles should pronounce words and how the characters are meant to talk about how normal people speak, rather than sounding poetic. The language and dialogue serve to reflect the intended realism of the play. It notes the awkward pauses and beats very openly, and Cariani even has keys for the script and notes when talking overlaps or a character fades out themselves. This specific way of writing the dialogue serves to keep Cariani’s intentions and makes it difficult for one not to get the point of every line.

1. Spectacle(all visual elements, including sets, costumes, and lights, as well as “pictures” created on stage by the director’s “blocking,” or arrangement of actors)

Set on a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. The projections of the Northern Lights during certain vignettes and one scene where a shoe falls from the sky. The stage is consisting of a flat with two windows and a door. The two windows will rotate in order to portray indoor and outdoor scenes. Props will be moved on and off between vignettes according to the scene.

1. Song (all auditory elements, including any music, singing, sound effects, or sounds made by actors)

Original music composed by Julian Fleisher for the Play is available through the Play

The Almost, Maine soundtrack played during set.

3. Was the production worth doing? This should not be a simple yes or no answer.  Take at least 75 wordsto discuss whether the production was worth the time and effort on the part of the collaborating artists and the audience. Keep in mind that just because you may not have personally enjoyed or understood certain aspects of the production, that does not mean the production does not have overall worth or something to offer to others. Consider, on the whole, whether there are ideas, themes, or elements that were worth presenting, and whether there is merit in what was presented that could possibly speak to others, even if the production as a whole did not speak to you. You may wish to take this opportunity to state whether you would recommend the production to others or not.

This play is very funny, and entertaining. I liked the vignette style of storytelling. Every character had their own unique personality which made the different stories contrast well. I would recommend this play to anyone who loves a good romance. Although most of the love in this play is comical, you can still get the romantic vibes.