Student actors put on funny show for “Almost, Maine”

Recently I attended the Ottawa University Theatre performance of "Almost, Maine." It was funny and interesting making it an awesome show to attend.

What first caught my attention while attending this play was the title of it.

"Almost, Maine" is not a coastal town located near the ocean because it really doesn't exist.

There were a lot of new and familiar faces in this production which was directed by Joel Williams and they all stood out to me because they were doing an awesome job.

One familiar face who took the stage was Junior Brittany Fain who played Gayle. When it was her time to perform her scene she really demanded attention from the audience through her energy, making us laugh.

Another attention grabber was newcomer Markayla McCarter who played a woman named Glory that sets up a tent in a man's backyard to see the northern lights. The man is a repairman by the name of East played by Junior Lee Nave Jr.

East is a lonely guy whose yard is chosen by Glory because of the recent death of her husband.

Before his death he broke her heart by committing an act of adultery so she walks around with this bag that has her shattered heart in it. The heart that's keeping her alive is artificial and incapable of loving again.

She is full of determination to see the northern lights because she wants to tell her husband goodbye. She says she can only do that by looking into the northern lights because it was the torches that the recently departed carry with them so they can find their way to heaven.

The setup of the northern lights on stage for the play was very unique. There was a huge black board as the sky with bright yellow stars, a representation of the northern lights for the audience.

A scene that was interesting to me in this play was "This Hurts" because the man played by Brandon Kissinger was physically incapable of feeling pain. I found this scene interesting because I was wondering what the outcome was going to be.

He keep a notebook titled "Things That Can Hurt You" which I found quite funny. Inside his notebook was a list of everything he thought that would hurt him.

All the characters in the play were getting their hearts crushed left and right by ones they were in love with. But eventually they all found that love that existed between them once upon a time and worked it out by mending their hearts once again.

It was a hilarious play which made it easy for the audience to enjoy and stay interested.