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Kristen Paige and Rob Kimmelman |
By Tina Arth
Sometimes those of us who are consumers, not producers, of
show biz can a little irritated by the fascination theater folk seem to have
with stories that revolve around their insular little world. Some of those stories amuse us a lot less
than they seem to amuse the actors. However, as millions of fans of The Producers can attest, the right
script with the right acting and direction = a rare gem. Playwright Sarah
Ruhl’s Stage Kiss, now playing at North
Portland’s Twilight Theater Company, is the real thing – a fine combination of
farce and frothy romantic comedy with just enough serious undercurrents to give
us a taste of thematic depth beneath the waves of laughter. Under the direction
of Matt Gibson, seven actors (portraying a total of fourteen characters)
deliver two hours (more or less) of broad gags and sly reactions, resulting in
a show that’s impossibly funny.
Since Shakespeare’s time, the “play within a play” has been
a time-honored device, and Ruhl doubles down by offering two such theatrical
insets, each a parody of hackneyed, truly bad theater. Two actors (identified
only as “She” and “He”) meet at a New Haven audition for a terrible, terribly
stylized ‘30s drama called “The Last Kiss.” Turns out that they are ex-lovers
from 15 years earlier, which adds some tension (sexual and otherwise) to the
fact that they are expected to kiss regularly and passionately in the play. He
is something of a bounder (with a girlfriend), while She now has a husband and
teen daughter. In the short run, these tiny details are no obstacle to the
revival of their old flame. By the time
we get to the second act (and second playlet) the now-loving and lusting couple
has traveled to Detroit for leads in a gritty crime drama that presents a whole
new set of conventions – the tough New York broad tangling with an IRA thug.
The show’s somewhat surprising conclusion provides a satisfying reflection on
the difference between love and infatuation, between living in the moment and
living for the long run. Ultimately, the audience can feel that all is OK with
the world – without being subjected to a cloying sentimentality that would
dilute all of the lovely wit and slapstick that has come before.
While Stage Kiss
is one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in several years, there are no actual
jokes in the script – the humor comes not from wordplay, but from the cast’s
ability to infuse humor through really, really good comic acting. Kristen Paige
(She) captures her character’s narcissism and neuroticism, yet she somehow manages
to make us care. Rob Kimmelman (He) does some fine physical comedy, especially
when on crutches, and (like Paige) he manages without mugging, overacting, or
chasing laughs. In fact, much of the finest comedy comes from watching and
sharing the other actors’ reactions to the couple’s make-out scenes – subtle,
organic, hilarious. Speaking of osculation, some of the evening’s funniest
stuff comes when Paige has to audition and later rehearse with Jason Fox (as Kevin)
– the sight of the hapless, clearly gay Fox trying to master a stage kiss is an
image that clings to the brain like an octopus on the mask of an unwary diver.
Much of Derek Lane and Josiah Green’s set design is
functional, but somewhat bare bones – the exception is the wonderfully gritty
East Village studio, where every touch from dirty dishes to grimy handprints is
depicted in loving detail. Laura Cunard’s keyboard work (and original music by
Cunard, Gibson, and Jonnie Torres) is an unexpected pleasure.
My first reaction to Stage
Kiss was that it was only to be missed if you’re in a coma – and I stand by
that assessment (as long as you’re not a child – it’s dripping with mature
themes and language). Every house should
be a full house!
Twilight Theater Company’s Stage Kiss is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue , Portland
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