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‘Almost, Maine’ is almost creepy
Without a doubt, some people would find "Almost, Maine" adorable. Nine stories, thawing out from the cold state of Maine, are fleshed out by Reb Atadero, Caisa Borromeo, Natalie Everett, and Jamie Wilson under the direction of Bart Guingona.
The four actors play multiple characters in a series of vignettes about love—and while they're all award-winning performers, there are parts of the script that are worrying. As the characters interact on the stark but effective set designed by Baby Imperial and Coco Anne, some might cringe at this alarming habit of men in Maine to kiss women, even as they expressly say no.
In the first sequence after the prologue, "Her Heart", Glory (Everett) pitches her tent on East's yard.
While that's an invasion of privacy on its own, East (Atadero) leaning in to kiss Glory (for the second time in a span of ten minutes!) after she tells him that he shouldn't might also leave a foul taste in some people's mouths.
It doesn't help that the sequence succeeding it, "Sad and Glad", involves a drunk-ish guy named Jimmy (also played by Atadero) coercing his ex, Sandrine (Borromeo), to talk to him.
Sandrine looks uncomfortable the entire time, repeatedly telling Jimmy that she wants to go back to her friends. Jimmy insists she stay with him...if "insists" means blocking a person's way so they couldn't leave. If Sandrine were a friend, you might've felt like giving her pepper spray as a gift after seeing their exchange. Just in case something similar happens in the future.
Jimmy elicits an audible collective "aw" from the audience, impulsively siding with his character's unrequited love for Sandrine. It's almost surprising how pity is thrown at a character who displays potentially frightening behavior, but research has shown that when presented positively, such as it often is in romantic comedies, obsessive behavior can be viewed as "sweet."
Guingona and the rest of Repertory Philippines can't fix these problematic parts of the script; they're just staying true to John Cariani's work. As a consolation, there are two (and a half) sequences that make "Almost, Maine" worth the ticket.
In "Getting It Back", "They Fell", and "Where It Went", things are presented in a literal manner—big bags of love being given back, a shoe punctuating a fight, and love causing two men to fall over.
"Getting It Back" presents a long-term couple on the verge of a breakup, with Gayle (Borromeo) blind to the magnitude of her boyfriend's love. The scene runs a few sentences too long and might put off some with its cloying conclusion—if they weren't already rolling their eyes at how (surprise!) the woman is presented as wedding-obsessed and oblivious to the fact that there is something good in front of her if she would only look.
Borromeo and Atadero perform the scene with such cuteness, it's almost okay that gender stereotypes exist. Almost.
If only the rest of "Almost, Maine" were as clever as "They Fell." It's short and sweet, with Atadero and Wilson clumsily realizing that they make a pretty good pair. Instead of going for the obvious manly man being iffy about the "gayness" of his feelings for his best pal, their characters (Chad and Randy) are apprehensive because it would ruin their friendship. Zero mention of being two guys. That's progress and that's the direction we expect Repertory Philippines to go.
While the cutesy stuff did make the audience squeal in true kilig, it is the depth in "Where It Went" that won the hearts of the company's fans. In the short vignette, Wilson and Everett show the chips and cracks that lack of communication causes. As Phil and Marci, the pair argue about a missing shoe and gradually, the activity leads them to a discussion of something else that has left their marriage. It's a little heavy-handed, but if there's space for unrealistic bordering on creepy meet-cutes, then surely, there's room for in-your-face symbolism onstage. — BM, GMA News
"Almost, Maine" runs until March 13 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt One, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. For schedules, call Repertory Philippines at (+632) 843-3570 and (+632) 451-1474.
