"An Evening of Almost" at the BCA

An Evening of Almost
11:11 Theatre Company
Boston Center for the Arts, Hall A
Tonight, 8pm; Saturday, 3pm and 8pm
General admission: $20, $17 students and seniors

In the climactic moment of “Something Went Wrong,” the eighth of nine short plays collected for “An Evening of Almost,” an exasperated murderer/husband complains about his relationship while standing over the clown he stabbed: “What happened to the laughter?”

As well-timed as that moment was, most of the plays in the collection eschewed the easy joke and went for poignancy. And aided by the very intimate choice of venue, we couldn't help but be engaged by every scene.

In "The Day that Brando Died," a seemingly silly premise (two retirees talking about the passing of the accomplished actor) turns incredibly meaningful, as the tennis rivals realize they were romantic rivals fifty years ago. Suddenly the "loser" shifts from imitating Brando's emotional scenes to expressing the real agony of unrequited love, a particularly touching instance.

The collection, loosely centered on the idea of "almost," is instantly relatable, as we reflect on the countless near-misses in our own lives. Unfortunately, most of us do not have an outside presence, like the dimwitted handyman in "Struck," to give those moments meaning.

In a way, we are defined as much by what could have happened as by what actually did. It is a credit to the actors and writers involved in the production that they were able to touch on that tension and remind us of the things which never came to fruition.