After a beautiful performance of Almost, Maine in Greenwich Village, New York this past February, I had the privilege of meeting with and talking to performer and playwright, John Cariani. Cariani wrote the play about his hometown Presque Isle, in Northern Maine, but used another name for the town: “Almost.” Through a series of vignettes, Cariani reveals in a pure, funny, yet magical way what it means to love and be loved.

 

      Like many other artists, Cariani had to work his way up to the top. “It tanked when we first did it in New York. No, it didn’t do well at all.” Cariani admits that people in The Big Apple just didn't know what to make of it, at first. They didn't realize that there really are people that caring and trusting, if only they could meet and get to know the people in Northern Maine where he grew up.

 

      Soon, Almost slowly started to catch on. Almost, Maine was the most performed play in the US last year, showing off-broadway and at high schools and colleges nationally and internationally. Cariani could not be more excited about the success of his play. “The best part is just that its being taken seriously now.”

 

      The way Cariani went about writing the show is a bit unorthodox. Some of the scenes from Almost are nearly 20 years old, and he added to them over time. When Cariani first was getting started in the theatre business in his mid-twenties, he wrote a few short scenes for his friends and fellow actors to perform in small theaters. In the beginning, Cariani and his colleagues would have to rent a space just to perform their works. He explained that it would be roughly $500 a night, sometimes up to $2500 a night. For struggling actors like himself, those prices are enough to make anyone hope for a miracle. After performing his scenes in one of those tiny theaters one night, Director Gabriel Barre sat down with Cariani to discuss his idea. “(Barre) noticed that my five (scenes) were all set in the winter time, they were all set on a Friday night, and they all had something strange happen in them. He said we should compile them.” Together, the playwright/director duo sifted through the scenes and thought about what elements of relationships were there, and what elements were missing. Cariani wrote some later scenes to fill in the gaps. In Almost the vignettes touch upon many kinds of relationships including homosexual relationships, high school sweethearts who find each other after many years, a broken up couple, and a widow and her new found love.

 

      Even though some of Almost was written decades ago, and even though it was written about a specific region of Northern Maine, its relevancy is inspiring. At first glance, it seems as if it would only be popular in Maine where the people would understand the little regional jokes interspersed with the truths about love. “They’re just simple love stories that have a little bit of sadness and everyone can relate to that,” says Cariani and that much is true; his love scenes in Almost are quite somber. However, there is so much simple truth and timelessness to them that they end up being beautiful without even seeming to try.