REVIEW: Cariani play finds beauty amid the darkness

Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars closes this weekend

Aug. 13, 2026

Poster for Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars. Photo courtesy of Opera House Arts.

By Emily Baer

STONINGTON—It’s not often that you sit in a small theater, in a small town, in rural Maine and see the realities of living in a place like this reflected back at you, but that is what makes Stonington Opera House Arts’ production of Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars all the more enjoyable.

Written by actor John Cariani, who grew up in Presque Isle, the play is set in northern Maine—or, more specifically, in “The County” near New Sweden. In 10 short, moving snapshots, the play follows 14 characters as they navigate the world around them.

Their stories contain the poverty, addiction, and a sense of hopelessness that we regularly see in depictions of small town America. But they’re also joyful, nuanced, and hilarious in ways that are usually forgotten—or “un-thought of,” as one of the characters says—in mainstream media.

Under Kathryn Markey’s thoughtful direction, the dynamic cast comes alive as siblings still learning to accept one another, teenagers exploring the boundaries of gender and sexuality, a soon-to-be priest redefining his grief, or a college drop out rekindling a sense of purpose and belonging.

Ulises Otero is particularly excellent as sweet, fumbling Teddy, the character whose story provides a throughline throughout the play. His counterpart, Martha Epstein, pulls the audience along with a story that is at once about who we are as it is about who we are yet to become.

Against a backdrop of rolling hills and a blanket of stars, each character looks up for the chance to see a moment of fleeting beauty against a darkening sky. They’re lucky to be able to see shooting stars in such a dark, remote place, and we’re lucky for the reminder that there is brightness and hope wherever you are.

Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars closes this weekend. For tickets and information, please visit the Opera House website.