Stage Kiss- Playwrights Horizons

I was there and really enjoyed it. The only other play of Ruhl's I've seen or read is In the Next Room, which I liked more than this BUT I'll admit not knowing where those two plays fall on her spectrum. I wasn't sure where exactly the story was going at the end of the first act, but I thought it tied up well in the end, with a very tender final moment.

(I'm also so thankful to have won a $5 ticket in the Live for Five lottery.)

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Thank you so much for the report, givesmevoice. This is near the top of my list of spring plays. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!

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I saw this tonight and I really, really enjoyed it. Full disclosure: I was not a fan of THE VIBRATOR PLAY, and I've never read or seen another Ruhl play (I know, I know...) so I was wary going in, but STAGE KISS has definitely convinced me to give Ruhl a second chance.

It's the story of an actor and an actress who are cast as lovers in a production of a 1930s flop play. It turns out these two have a past together, in real life. And heartbreak, hilarity, and turmoil ensue. It's really a very smart piece, with a lot of hilarious moments throughout. I'm not quite sure I felt the emotional impact that I would assume was intended, but I thoroughly enjoyed the show, the direction, the design, and the performances. Jessica Hecht is magnificent; in fact, I think this may be the best performance I've seen from her yet. I really can't say enough about how fantastic she is. And while Dominic Fumusa may not be her equal, he sure holds his own against her and is strong in his own right. The supporting players are each great as well, particularly Michael Cyril Creighton, who is a riot. Todd Almond plays the piano throughout, mostly in the first act and during one surreal, very funny moment in the second, and he sings a bit too. Needless to say he does both extremely well.

I thought Rebecca Taichman's direction was really clever, as was the surprisingly intricate scenic design by Neil Patel.

This is definitely one worth checking out; I skipped out on the much-reviled PATRON SAINT OF SEA MONSTERS at Playwrights Horizons, and I wasn't a huge fan of MR. BURNS, but I'm glad to say STAGE KISS is an overall definite "win" for PH in my book.

Updated On: 2/12/14 at 10:39 PM

Saw the show last weekend and highly recommend it. What a huge step up from the production I saw at The Goodman in Chicago years back. This production clearly is attune to Ruhl’s style in this play and her clever and hilarious writing is allowed to shine (and the great writing allowed the actors to find many intricacies of their characters and moments where each one of them shine, as well).

I remember in the Goodman production the entire thing felt like it was played so realistically that there was a blurry line between the distinctions of real life and some of the surreal moments (that, honestly, caused a bit of confusion for me and, therefore, so many moments in the play were lost). Also, with the Goodman production tending more toward reality (and more of a straight romantic comedy feel – I honestly felt they were trying to appeal to their older audience base), the main characters became a bit more unlikable because we weren’t seeing that whimsy, theatrical streak they had in them that made them truly believe fate was bringing them together. The Playwright’s production, however, hit these things right on point (the use of Almond’s music to aid in the surreal moments was used very wisely and done extremely well – and, I will always enjoy Almond singing and playing).

And, Jessica Hecht is just wonderful in this. She finds that perfect balance between sensible and wishy-washy and has the audience in the palm of her hands from that first scene on. She has so many different nuances in this performance, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Everyone is, in fact, really great in their roles.

I’m a big Ruhl fan and, because she does often have such a heightened style, it can be difficult to find the flow when producing her plays. But, when productions DO find this, really magical things onstage can happen.

Trite, pallid, and lacking credibility, but less excruciating than some of the horrors Playwrights Horizons has inflicted upon us.