By Lydia Velazquez ‘17

The Northern lights are considered to be fairly magical, and in the (imaginary) town of Almost, Maine, these lights influence whether nine couples’ relationships fall apart or come together.

Rather than putting together one cohesive play, the Sherwood C.A.S.T produced “Almost, Maine,” by John Cariani for their spring show, a collection of vignettes focused on the concepts of love and relationships.

Many familiar faces from the fall musical, “Pippin,” were seen in the show, including freshman Gracie Castle, sophomore Evan Neufeld, junior Lindsay Tagliere, and senior Joseph Hunt, to name a few. The large cast reflected the department’s capability of including students of all ages and experience levels.

“It’s nice to give an opportunity for the large number of students we have in C.A.S.T to participate in the show,” said theater director Andrew Dodge. “Each of the students had a lead  for their scene and worked on character and really built their acting skills through the course of this production.”

All cast members had notable energy and genuine chemistry. The production thus presented the theater department’s strong skills, and actors, in a way that would not have normally been seen in a “traditional” play. Some particularly intriguing actors were freshman Julianna Gross, who portrayed a waitress with a very convincible accent, and sophomore Erik Mayerson who played well with the comedic aspect within his roles as Dave, a skier who tries to put the moves on a longtime friend.

“The show was a lot of fun and not a lot of pressure,” said Mayerson. “It’s fun doing a show with your friends.”

Though some characteristics of the dialogue itself was relatively forced and jumbled, all actors projected themselves well and caught the attention of the audience every time they were on stage.

The transitions and technical features of the show were flawless. The backdrop was simplistic but effective, a collection of small Douglas fir silhouettes. The highlight technical effects being a faux Northern light which graced the backdrop at the end of each scene and the falling of faux snow during the final scene.

Overall, “Almost, Maine” was a delightful show, it was quick moving and had quirky characters, making it a pleasant experience for both audience and actors.