Stop Kiss Backstage

Part of the "photography package" for a show is me spending some time with the cast taking pictures of them putting makeup on and hanging out. It is actually one of my favorite parts of what I do. Last night they were a little camera shy so I put the really good zoom lense on and stood by the piano. I'll have to remember that little trick. Some of the these pictures are also crew, it's a pretty small cast. It was also my first time actually getting to see the show out from behind the camera lense and let me just say, it is a very good play. Even now, though it's a fiction story, I still want to rip limb from limb the guy who severely beats Sara. Sara is played by my real-life friend, Cheryl, and the images in my mind of her head getting bashed against the wall, brings out the fighter out in me real quick. They never actually show the scene but they describe it in enough detail to break my heart. There are a lot of laughs in the play too, fun moments and the two lead characters are very endearing. You quickly get wrapped up in their relationship. The following is the Statesman Journal's review of the show. You can find it online here.

"Stop Kiss" is a love story about two women who gradually discover, to their surprise, that they are attracted to each other. The Pentacle Theatre's current production, directed by Jo Dodge, brings this out with sensitivity and humor.

It's also about what happens after one of the women is beaten senseless by an attacker who has seen them kiss in a park. Playwright Diana Son reveals as much just minutes into the show, so it's no spoiler to say that here.

The horror of the attack — which is described but not shown on stage — could overshadow a play presented in chronological order.

Instead, the playwright splices the aftermath of the beating with touching scenes of growing love — something nearly anyone can relate to.

Callie (Sophie Morris) is a streetwise New York traffic reporter who tends to coast through life. Sara (Cheryl Witters) is an idealistic teacher newly transplanted from the Midwest. They meet over Sara's cat, share talk of boyfriends and jobs, and begin spending more time together.

In what is nearly a two-woman play, both Morris and Witters do an excellent job. They keep their characters from becoming caricatures of opposites who wind up attracting. There really does seem to be chemistry between them, but they let it develop at a natural pace.

Morris' task is especially challenging: Within seconds, she must transform from the traumatized witness to Sara's beating to the carefree girlfriend of happier times, and then back. Considerable credit goes to Tony Zandol's set and lighting design, which allow for rapid changes of time and place. Backstage dressers Nancy Gorrell and Elise Von Kemp seemingly zap characters through time in a brief blackout.

Among the supporting cast, Jason Cude stands out as the ditched boyfriend who still can support Callie.

Although this play is partly about a hate crime, "Stop Kiss" is not a grim evening. It offers a surprising number of laughs along with serious food for thought, and it ends on a hopeful note.







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