Almost, Maine

I worked on poster ideas for John Cariani’s play, Almost, Maine last winter, the perfect season for a love letter to northern Maine.

I borrowed a pastel background from another poster (Babette’s Feast) when I mocked up my sketches, which all involved a big night sky.

The vignettes in the play involve two people connecting, with many of the scenes outside on a Friday night in the deep winter.

The rough with the snowmobile got the go ahead. I did some research on Northern lights, which I only saw once in my life, when I was a child in the White Mountains.

This is the pastel final.

I added the hand lettering and stars digitally.

Somehow the stars didn’t make it into the final poster, perhaps because there were stars in the previous play, Read to Me.

We attended a performance last Saturday, featuring the playwright himself! It’s a wonderful return for both Portland Stage and John, since Almost, Maine premiered here in 2004 and has gone on to play in over 6,000 theaters and has been translated into dozens of languages. It kicks off Portland Stage’s celebration of Maine’s bicentennial with gusto.

Anita Stewart’s set design is magical.

When the snowflakes drift gently down, you enter a surreal space where the characters are authentic, flawed, and bound for love despite the cold.

Director Sally Wood gives the actors ample room for physical comedy, and there are unexpected moments that kept me either laughing or weeping. Even the stage crew got into the act, keeping things lively. Kudos to all for bringing out the best of this love story and all it’s big Maine heart.

Marty (who illustrated the poster for Last Gas, also by John Cariani, and which will be staged next week) and I met John last April at the season launch. He’s affable, enthusiastic, and clearly deserving of all the local pride in his accomplishments. He’s off soon to appear in a NYC production, and his replacement is none other than Dustin Tucker, who will bring his own inimitable powers to the part.

We dined after the show with our guests, Brian and Lyn Smith, both thrilled by the production. Snow fell and love was in the air.

We later watched the Maine Voices interview with John to learn more. What a journey he’s been on since leaving Presque Isle!

Please: Go see Almost, Maine and tell me if you recognize any of the characters, caught in the raw beauty that is this remarkable place. Thank you, Portland Stage, for bringing this wonder and John Cariani back home.