A Pleasant and Quietly Devastating PRELUDE TO A KISS

The title says it all. PRELUDE TO A KISS, now playing at the American Airlines Theatre, features nearly expert cast combined with a quirky, pleasant (albeit a little depressing) play. It is a tremendous afternoon (evening) of theater at it's near finest. Life changing? Not by a long shot.

I tend to see so much theater that it's hard not to over analyze each show. In thinking about it, PRELUDE is a show that you cannot over analyze, for doing that would destroy the whole pleasantness of the piece.

A young new couple impulsively decide to get married. At their wedding, a mysterious old man kisses the bride and she becomes a new person. Their struggles play out. That is the show in a nutshell, without giving anything away. Craig Lucas' supernatural comedy is a great way to mellow out for the dog days of winter.

Featured in the cast are the brilliantly devastating John Mahoney, the always good Alan Tudyk, the scene stealing Robin Bartlett and James Rebhorn, and the fairly miscast Annie Parisse.

You watch someone on TV for so long that you never realize that they actually have acting chops. That sums up my feelings for Mahoney (whom I've never seen in anything beyond Frasier). His performance as the Old Man is heartbreaking and left today's audience in tears. His performance goes to prove that you don't need bells and whistles to make a significant impact. Just good, old fashioned acting. Don't rule him out for a Tony nomination.

Alan Tudyk captures the essence of Peter and is brimming with stage presence. The same can be said for Robin Bartlett and James Rebhorn, who are positively magnetic in their featured roles. I wouldn't rule them out for nominations, either.

Annie Parisse is the one let down. Her looks channel original Rita, Mary-Louise Parker, though she doesn't even come close to having Parker's level of talent. Her performance is extremely awkward. While I don't know if she was directed to be that way, it is extremely detremental. Also detremental to the show is her lack of chemistry with Tudyk. We should be rooting for them to get back together in the end, not have him stay with the Old Man. FYI, the kissing scene (Tudyk and Mahoney's) is awkwardly beautiful.

Daniel Sullivan has directed a smooth, yet ultimately slow production. Act I drags (partially due to Parisse), while Act II flies by thanks to Mahoney's mere presence. Roundabout has gone the more-or-less cheap way out again. Santo Loquasto's sets aren't as great as they could be, Jane Greenwood's costumes are pedestrian at best, yet Donald Holder, as usual, never disappoints.

Ultimately, all of it adds up a very pleasant afternoon of theater. Great? No. Enjoyable? Very much.

Updated On: 3/3/07 at 07:56 PM

Great review, Yankee. I saw the show on Wednesday and I agree with most of your points. This was my first exposure to the piece, though I already had familiarity with Craig Lucas from RECKLESS and THE DYING GAUL. As Act 1 went on I found myself surprised at how small Mahoney's part was, but once he was given his time to shine in Act 2 I saw how wonderful a stage actor he is. I agree that he and Tudyk had glorious chemistry, much moreso than Tudyk and Parisse, which didn't help much in servicing the story. Parisse's role is a challenging one, and I didn't know until just reading your review now that Mary-Louise Parker originated the role. That makes a lot of sense to me, as she is the ideal actress to handle such multi-faceted roles, and I have no doubt that she was fantastic in the original production. I found Tudyk to be a totally committed leading man in this production. This was my first exposure to him and he expertly carried the play through, with a nice arc to his character. Lucas reminds me a lot of Edward Albee in that he takes what may appear to be a typical story and twists it oh-so-carefully to make what might otherwise seem awkward to an audience appear completely believable and realistic.

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Updated On: 3/4/07 at 09:41 PM

I do. I noticed that all three of their names are above the title. My guess is that Mahoney will be ruled Featured by the Tony Administration Committee.

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You've never seen Mahoney in anything but Frasier? You've never seen "Moonstruck" or "Say Anything"? Get thee to a video rental store!

I agree. I've seen the show twice now and I really adore this production. BTW, I think the awkwardness you brought up vis-a-vis Parisse is a character choice; Rita IS awkward. John Mahoney truly is brilliant here. His Act Two monologue had be on the verge of tears. Beautiful, beautiful work.

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I saw a very early preview and I was quite charmed by the production, especially by Tudyk and Mahoney. Robyn Bartlett, however, stole the show as Rita's mother - she was marvelous.

Another Mahoney performance that is a gem is in THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, a Lincoln Center Theatre production from 1986 which was recorded and shown on PBS - it pops up occasionally and may have been commercially released.

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Margo, don't forget Stockard Channing - she opened as Bunny, Christine Baranski replaced her. They were both brilliant.

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I never saw Stockard. By the time, I saw the show, Baranski was playing Bunny, though Aiello was still playing Billy (before being replaced by Richard Portnow for the telecast).

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Updated On: 3/4/07 at 01:16 AM

Munk - I was in the mezz. I moved to one of the empty boxes for Act II.
Regarding Parisse, looking like Fran Drescher is an astute description....when she had the sun glasses on, that was my reaction, as well.
Agreed that it's a pointless revival, but it charmed me.

Margo - was 'Blue Leaves' ever released on vhs/dvd?

Were you bored more in the first or second act? I thought the first was never going to end!

I attributed the first act's boredom due to Parisse's performance. Her character had to carry the show and her uncharismatic performance didn't just didn't suffice.

I have to say she was better playing the Old Man than she was Rita.