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Students Ryan Lynch and Carlin Campbell rehearse for this year’s Muse Project “Almost, Maine.” The show is directed by seniors Dylan Blackwood and Raleigh Peterson. (photo by Danielle Sourber)
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BY SCARLETT CASTLEBERRY Staff Writer
“‘Almost’ is the saddest word in the English language because it had the potential to be something and it never was,” Student Director Dylan Blackwood said.
Blackwood and fellow senior musical theatre major Raleigh Peterson set out as co-directors to bring this year’s Muse Project to the Ouachita stage.
“Almost, Maine” is a modern play written in 2006 by actor and playwright John Cariani. It originally opened in Portland, Maine, before going off-Broadway and then becoming one of the most popular choices for high school and college productions across the United States. It is a collection of nine vignettes that are, according to Blackwood, about “honest connection and the transparency of love.” The show exists in a kind of twilight zone where love is depicted as various physical objects to demonstrate its realism.
“Almost, Maine” deals with love at every stage of a relationship. Each scene depicts a relationship and “how they almost had someone, almost left someone, almost lost someone, almost fell in love,” Peterson said.
Before rehearsal typically begins, the two directors are ready to go with the goals they’ve set for that night. Cast and crew members alike rush around, setting up props and equipment, doing jumping jacks to keep the energy high and falling into line immediately when Blackwood and Peterson say it’s time to start.
As the scene begins, stage manager Ashlynn Lockhart watches everything, ready for anything. Blackwood and Peterson whisper back and forth intermittently as they watch the show. They nod with approval and make notes to discuss with the cast.
Once a scene is finished, everyone is up and moving, discussing accomplishments and improvements. As they compare movements and character choices, Blackwood and Peterson work hard to ensure that each actor is connecting with and understanding the character they are portraying. It is through collaboration that the team reaches an understanding of how they are going to bring their vision to life.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Blackwood and Peterson said.
“We’re hoping that people can see themselves,” Blackwood said. “We want people to not be afraid to laugh and cry. This is a modern play. It’s very close, very relational and real. It’s not presentational.” “And it’s not a sad show,” Peterson said.
“But all of the comedy is grounded in realism,” Blackwood said. “It’s kind of fitting that this play is opening the week of Valentine’s Day.”
The show stars Carlin Campbell, Molly Kennedy, Cross Brandon, Ryan Lynch, Autumn Romines, Emily Johnson, Aaron George and Lily Kay as the lead actors.
“Almost, Maine” runs Feb. 13- 17, with performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday at 7:30 p.m., and one on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ‘Dolittle’ does little to wow
audience, despite much hype
flashing arrows. The main antagonist’s motivation was very poor, and it was hard to watch. The secondary villain of the movie has a very confusing motivation due to poor writing that did not establish his character very well.
The CGI was very well done at times and at others was very poor. The score of this film was amazing, and it helped immerse the audience into the movie. The film does tell Dr. Dolittle’s backstory in an interesting way. It’s told through a watercolor painting collection before transitioning into live action.
What was expected to be an amazing film was a disappointment, and putting a really famous name on the poster can only do so much in a film with many issues. I do not believe that “Dolittle” is a bad movie, but it definitely did not live up to audience expectations.
Many criticized Downey, Jr.’s performance as Dr. Dolittle, but I felt it was a refreshing take on the character. “Dolittle” tries to send a message about being who you are, but its cheesy style prevents it from being taken seriously.
This film is definitely a Redbox rental instead of going to see it in the theaters. It is a great family movie if your family has no other movie to watch. I recommend this film to people who enjoyed movies like the live action “Lion King” and live action “Lady and the Tramp.” While this motion picture will not win any awards, it is a film that many can appreciate. “Dolittle” is a film about Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) and his amazing ability to speak to animals. Dolittle’s wife passed away, causing him to be depressed and to isolate himself and his animals from the world. When Queen Victoria falls gravely ill, Dr. Dolittle and his animals must go on an adventure to find the cure. When the adventure begins, Dr. Dolittle takes up young Tommy Stubins (Harry Collett) as his apprentice and shows him how to communicate with animals. Dr. Dolittle and Tommy work together to save the Queen before it is too late. “Dolittle” is a very mediocre film. Having a very talented cast is what provided the “hype” for “Dolittle.” However, using this strategy caused the movie to be a let-down for those who expected a high quality film. The voice actors did an amazing job; however, some of their most publicized celebrities—including Selena Gomez and Tom Holland—only had a few lines in the first 20 minutes and then were written off until the end of the movie. Downey, Jr. did an amazing job portraying his character. Collett is very impressive in his role, especially for being such a young actor. The voice actors also did a great job of bringing their characters to life.
The plot is very predictable, with foreshadowing so obvious they might as well have been using BY WYATT ASHLOCK Staff Writer
