Stage Kiss at Hampstead Theatre Review

"We meet the characters in contemporary New York. An unnamed middle-aged woman (MyAnna Buring - Slow Horses) bursts into an audition for the lead role in a 1930s musical stage romance. She's chaotic and lovable, scrambling through her lines with help from an eccentric, owl-voiced director (Rolf Saxon - Pericles). Despite, or perhaps because of, her chaos, she lands the part, and the scene is set for a screwball comedy of errors."

"But intrigue strikes on the first day of rehearsals when our lead arrives to find that her old flame has been cast as her romantic co-lead. He (Patrick Kennedy - Blue Moon) is awkward and matter-of-fact, unsure what to make of the sticky situation. Kissing is obligatory from the first rehearsal, and, over the course of the fictional production, gritting their teeth through clunky embraces, the pair work their way back into each other's hearts."

"Stage Kiss builds momentum from here, exploring the outrage of the lovers' families and the uneasy joy of rekindling with a lost sweetheart. There is no shortage of comedic twists - Ruhl's writing is unafraid to reach for outrageous plot points in service of hearty laughs."

"Yet, behind the scenes, in gloomy rehearsal rooms, intimacy between performers is often without electricity. Kissing strangers is an actor's bread and butter, and Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss runs with the weirdness of this job description. After the success of Letters from Max at Hampstead Downstairs in 2025, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Ruhl collaborates again with director Blanche McIntyre to deliver a multifaceted romantic comedy - blending farce and musical theatre - about the tangling of real and make-believe intimacy."

A middle-aged woman arrives in contemporary New York to audition for a 1930s musical stage romance. She is chaotic but wins the lead role under an eccentric, owl-voiced director. On the first day of rehearsals, her old flame is cast as her romantic co-lead, creating an awkward, sticky situation. Kissing is required from the first rehearsal, and the pair gradually work through clunky embraces to reconnect emotionally. The story builds momentum through comedic twists, including reactions from the lovers’ families and the uneasy joy of rekindling a lost sweetheart. The writing uses outrageous plot points to generate hearty laughs.

Read at London Unattached