The Reviews are In and My Husband is a Star!

From "BACKSTAGE WEST"

Almost, Maine December 05, 2007
By Eric Marchese

John Cariani's 2002 play, a set of vignettes about the nature of romance, is fresh, funny, and insightful. The scenes are slices of love that look at those who feel said emotion's ecstasy, endure its folly, and undergo everything in between. Cariani's wonderfully constructed, well-written schema delivers seven successive scenes that unfold concurrently, at 9 p.m. on a Friday night in the middle of winter in the small Northern Maine town of Almost. Director Steph N. Davis' cast of four -- Albert Bohorquez, Sean Marchant, Bettina Saam, and Sherryl Wynne -- portrays all 17 characters, and although some of the scenes may have played better using additional actors, these four give finely nuanced performances that suit the textures of the material, presented strongly and with great self-assurance.

Maine native Marchant adds authenticity through his accent, creating several memorable portrayals, none as indelible as that of a man whose girlfriend of 11 years decides to end the relationship when he seems to shy away from marriage. Reminiscent of a heavyset Alec Baldwin, Bohorquez is fine as a repairman who helps a literally brokenhearted woman move on in life and funny as a lummox incapable of feeling physical pain but wary of the emotional distress romance can inflict. Wynne shines as a tomboy whose longtime best friend (Bohorquez) wants to move things to the next level. She and Bohorquez are also well-matched as a long-married couple desperate to regain the magic in their marriage but unsure how. The biggest revelation of this cast is Saam, who essays five distinct roles, giving each a reading worthy of a starring role. She's much like Holly Hunter: a tiny but mighty emotional powerhouse. She's paired twice with Marchant, twice with Bohorquez, and guided by Cariani's words and Davis' hand, they work something close to magic.

Presented by and at the Orange Curtain Theatre, 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano.