Press and Praise for 'Stage Kiss'
Review: Psych Drama Company Blurs Art and Life in Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Stage Kiss'
by Terry Byrne
February 17th, 2025
'Stage Kiss', now at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Black Box, draws audiences into the drama of an onstage-offstage romance.
Award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl often focuses on the fine line between reality and illusion in such dramas as “The Clean Room,” “In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play,” “Eurydice,” and “Orlando.” With “Stage Kiss,” now getting a smart, sharp production from Psych Drama Company in the Boston Center for the Arts Black Box, Ruhl turns her gaze to theater itself. What happens, she posits, when the relationship between two performers onstage spills over into their offstage relationship?
Psych Drama Company thoughtfully chooses plays that allow them to amplify subtext in immersive performance and examine “theatrical works through a psychological lens.” Before we enter the theater, we are invited to sign up for auditions for “The Last Kiss,” a 1930s melodrama in which an old romance is rekindled when the heroine is reunited with her former lover with just one month to live. Once everyone is seated, names are called and the volunteers read brief “sides,” scenes selected from the florid dialogue, while a distracted director looks on. Following those auditions, “She,” played by Wendy Lippe (a practicing clinical psychologist and the company’s producing artistic director), runs in, capturing the nervousness and neediness of an actor — in this case one who hasn’t worked for a decade — as she tries to deliver what she imagines the director might want.
She is thrilled to be cast, only to discover that “He,” her leading man (Kenneth Kelleher), is an old flame she hasn’t seen in years. The titular “stage kiss” refers to the need for actors to balance professionalism with believability when they perform love scenes. But in the case of He and She, despite their initial awkwardness, the overwrought love scenes they act out in the potboiler quickly heat up their offstage romance, despite their offstage commitments: she is married to a banker named Harry (Eric Cheung) with a teenage daughter (Melissa Myers), and he has a schoolteacher girlfriend named Laurie (Julia Trueblood).
While it may seem a little inside baseball, director Rani O’Brien takes Psych Drama Company’s mission to heart, gently drawing the audience into this fast-paced comedy. You don’t have to be a performer (or psychologist) to recognize those moments when your desire for an outcome (whether personal or professional) blinds you to the red flags your rational mind is waving in front of you. Other productions of “Stage Kiss” lean into the farce, playing up the absurdities of the play-within-a-play with the surreal reunion of the former lovers. O’Brien mines that humor, with some hilariously deliberate overacting from David Kleinman as Kevin, the eager understudy who is way over his head during the love scenes. Both Lippe and Kelleher infuse their characters with personality, with Kelleher giving his actor some dash and diffidence before bringing down the house with some complicated choreography on crutches. But the intimacy of the Black Box theater, and O’Brien’s choice to stage the performance in the round, helps her balance the laughs while illuminating some of the play’s deeper themes of vulnerability, uncertainty, and regret.
In Act II, the acting pair have run off to his grungy apartment and have been cast in a new play, written by their indecisive director (Zachary Ryan Murphy) of “The Last Kiss.” This play dramatizes a darker love story between a prostitute and a member of the IRA, leavened by Lippe and Kelleher‘s comically broad accents. But Lippe’s beautifully calibrated performance allows her character to reconcile rosy memories of her first love with the reality that led to their breakup, as if she’s slowly waking from a dream.
The comedy’s resolution may feel a bit pat, but it doesn’t lessen the impact of Ruhl’s keen interest in the joys and heartbreak embedded in the emotional roller coaster of love. Ruhl’s gift, beautifully realized by this Psych Drama production, is her ability to wrap the excitement of first love and the commitment of mature love in an evening of delightful comedy.
Read The Full Article Here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/17/arts/psych-drama-company-blurs-art-life-sarah-ruhls-stage-kiss/
Psych Drama’s ‘Stage Kiss’ is Funny – and Surprisingly Touching
by Judy Katzman
February 17th, 2025
The concept of immersion for Stage Kiss – the Psych Drama Company’s production that employs a play-within-a-play – is cleverly achieved as soon as your ticket is ripped and you walk downstairs to the waiting area. Outside the closed doors of the theater sits a table with information about a casting call for a production of ‘The Last Kiss,’ the title of the play within the Stage Kiss play. While waiting for the theatre doors to open, patrons can read a summary of ‘The Last Kiss’ as well as a description of each character. Meanwhile, Stage Kiss actor Kevin (David Kleinman) enthusiastically walks through the waiting crowd collecting names of volunteers who would like to “read” for a part. When everyone is seated in the theatre, the auditions for ‘The Last Kiss’ begin, starting with the audience member volunteers and then transitioning to the actual cast of Stage Kiss.
From the moment the character known as She (Wendy Lippe) bursts onto the stage, late for her audition, the audience is drawn to her. She is frazzled and vulnerable and is instantly likable. Lippe is all-in for this role, throwing herself into her performance, sometimes literally, which makes for some of her best scenes. The audition, a kiss scene with Kevin, elicits plenty of laughs as She constantly stops and asks for direction and clarification from the Director (Zachary Ryan Murphy). Unbeknownst to She, the lead male role of He in ‘The Last Kiss’ is her former lover (Kenny Kelleher), putting them both in an extremely uncomfortable position. Uber-serious but immature, Kelleher scores big laughs without cracking a smile. Some of his most humorous moments center on his use of a pair of crutches during his performance in the play, and the emotional growth of his character is a treat to witness.
Much of the action focuses on the rehearsal process for the 1930s melodrama that has reunited the former lovers. Lippe and Kelleher nail the sexual tension as they struggle with past feelings for one another and the sparks they try to suppress. As they get deeper into the rehearsal process, their character’s feelings become blurred with their own. It is both interesting and amusing – and at times hilarious – as Lippe and Kelleher handle their roles capably.
Complementing Lippe and Kelleher is a very talented cast. Kleinman, juggling several roles in ‘The Last Kiss,’ has considerable stage presence and takes on each character with great enthusiasm, especially the doctor and pimp roles. As Kevin, Kleinman’s over-the-top eagerness to rehearse a kiss scene with She as the understudy for He was a riot. Murphy’s overwhelmed Director of ‘The Last Kiss’ was fun to watch, as he storms around the stage and offers sage advice like “just go with your first instinct!” At times, he sits with the audience while watching rehearsals and engages with them, another nice immersive touch. Eric Cheung skillfully plays the reserved and doting husband, and Melissa Myers and Julia Trueblood also deliver in smaller roles. Myers’ portrayal as She’s teenage daughter is delightfully sassy and flippant, and Trueblood’s portrayal as He’s wholesome girlfriend (who feels the need to retreat to the bathroom during stressful situations) is adorable. While ‘Stage Kiss’ takes us on a wild ride that blurs fiction and truth, humor and pain, the ending is raw, allowing us to see just how far certain characters have evolved after the curtain closes on ‘The Last Kiss.’ Lippe and Kelleher offer humorous yet honest performances, affording an intimate look at their personal journeys. The Psych Drama Company’s mission is to “examine theatrical works through a psychological lens” and deliver “powerful, thought-provoking, immersive performances.” Mission accomplished.
Read The Full Article Here: https://www.theatermirror.net/?p=8319
by Judy Katzman
February 17th, 2025
The concept of immersion for Stage Kiss – the Psych Drama Company’s production that employs a play-within-a-play – is cleverly achieved as soon as your ticket is ripped and you walk downstairs to the waiting area. Outside the closed doors of the theater sits a table with information about a casting call for a production of ‘The Last Kiss,’ the title of the play within the Stage Kiss play. While waiting for the theatre doors to open, patrons can read a summary of ‘The Last Kiss’ as well as a description of each character. Meanwhile, Stage Kiss actor Kevin (David Kleinman) enthusiastically walks through the waiting crowd collecting names of volunteers who would like to “read” for a part. When everyone is seated in the theatre, the auditions for ‘The Last Kiss’ begin, starting with the audience member volunteers and then transitioning to the actual cast of Stage Kiss.
From the moment the character known as She (Wendy Lippe) bursts onto the stage, late for her audition, the audience is drawn to her. She is frazzled and vulnerable and is instantly likable. Lippe is all-in for this role, throwing herself into her performance, sometimes literally, which makes for some of her best scenes. The audition, a kiss scene with Kevin, elicits plenty of laughs as She constantly stops and asks for direction and clarification from the Director (Zachary Ryan Murphy). Unbeknownst to She, the lead male role of He in ‘The Last Kiss’ is her former lover (Kenny Kelleher), putting them both in an extremely uncomfortable position. Uber-serious but immature, Kelleher scores big laughs without cracking a smile. Some of his most humorous moments center on his use of a pair of crutches during his performance in the play, and the emotional growth of his character is a treat to witness.
Much of the action focuses on the rehearsal process for the 1930s melodrama that has reunited the former lovers. Lippe and Kelleher nail the sexual tension as they struggle with past feelings for one another and the sparks they try to suppress. As they get deeper into the rehearsal process, their character’s feelings become blurred with their own. It is both interesting and amusing – and at times hilarious – as Lippe and Kelleher handle their roles capably.
Complementing Lippe and Kelleher is a very talented cast. Kleinman, juggling several roles in ‘The Last Kiss,’ has considerable stage presence and takes on each character with great enthusiasm, especially the doctor and pimp roles. As Kevin, Kleinman’s over-the-top eagerness to rehearse a kiss scene with She as the understudy for He was a riot. Murphy’s overwhelmed Director of ‘The Last Kiss’ was fun to watch, as he storms around the stage and offers sage advice like “just go with your first instinct!” At times, he sits with the audience while watching rehearsals and engages with them, another nice immersive touch. Eric Cheung skillfully plays the reserved and doting husband, and Melissa Myers and Julia Trueblood also deliver in smaller roles. Myers’ portrayal as She’s teenage daughter is delightfully sassy and flippant, and Trueblood’s portrayal as He’s wholesome girlfriend (who feels the need to retreat to the bathroom during stressful situations) is adorable. While ‘Stage Kiss’ takes us on a wild ride that blurs fiction and truth, humor and pain, the ending is raw, allowing us to see just how far certain characters have evolved after the curtain closes on ‘The Last Kiss.’ Lippe and Kelleher offer humorous yet honest performances, affording an intimate look at their personal journeys. The Psych Drama Company’s mission is to “examine theatrical works through a psychological lens” and deliver “powerful, thought-provoking, immersive performances.” Mission accomplished.
Read The Full Article Here: https://www.theatermirror.net/?p=8319
"Stage Kiss" - by Sarah Ruhl - Psych Drama Company (Boston, MA.) - REVIEW
by Kevin T. Baldwin
February 23rd, 2025
"So, I think in the last ten years I’ve had two auditions, one for a maid on Broadway and one for an antidepressant commercial. I got the antidepressant commercial."
- ("She") / Sarah Ruhl
THE PSYCH DRAMA COMPANY has staged a very ambitious production of "STAGE KISS" and it comes with many laughs and, for some theatre veterans, an all-too-familiar scenario. Two middle-aged actors, only known as She (Wendy Lippe) and He (Kenneth Kelleher) with a sexual history are cast as romantic leads in a 1930s melodrama being resurrected and staged by stressed out director Adrian Schwalbach (Zachary Ryan Murphy). She auditions for Adrian opposite his assistant and fellow performer, Kevin (David Kleinman). Together and separately in their respective scenes, Murphy and Kleinman offer up some of the funniest moments in the entire show.
She is cast in the role of dying aristocrat Ada Wilcox, opposite He who is cast in the role of Ada’s former lover, Johnny Lowell. Both Lippe and Kelleher are exceptional in conveying the multitude of conflicting emotions with which their characters contend while executing their roles as lovers past, present, on-stage...and then, off-stage. As we follow this sexually-charged journey from the audition process to rehearsals to the actual performance, we soon learn that the on-and-off-stage chemistry between She and He is still as dominating - and toxic - as ever. Even though He is in a budding relationship with a teacher (Julia Trueblood) and She is long-married to loving Husband (Eric Cheung), the actors soon lose touch with reality and re-ignite their passionate affair, and the line between offstage and onstage romance begins to blur. By the second act of "STAGE KISS" all Hell breaks loose. The play that everyone had high hopes for turns out to be a major flop and, later, the affair between She and He is quickly revealed. She is confronted at He’s apartment (yes, I know that sounds weird when you say it out loud) by her Husband and Daughter (Melissa Myers) along with He’s current love interest (yep - not sounding any better). However, Adrian returns and offers the actors a second opportunity to work together in an even more outlandish play involving an Irishman and a Brooklyn hooker that Adrian is directing.
The only question for She and He is can they make this relationship work this second time around – or will they begin to recall why it didn’t work the first time around? "STAGE KISS," written by Sarah Ruhl, made its debut Chicago in 2011 Chicago before ultimately transitioning to Off-Broadway in 2014. The two-act production, as directed by Rani O'Brien, is done in-the-round in a blackbox setting. Using some inventive minimalist staging, the approach taken by O'Brien allows much of the plot to be driven directly by the cast, which works quite well given the sheer level of fine talent involved in the show. The cast faithfully and with precision executes the text…it is only a pity that, overall, the play itself doesn’t rise to the same level of excellence. The main issue is that the play's two main characters come across as way overwritten. Either the supporting character stories could have been expanded upon, or the show might just have easily been better served as a shorter one-act (rather than being severely drawn out over two acts). In addition, there is a rather unnecessary approach taken by Ruhl in putting the cast-within-a-cast in a “fishbowl” environment where we, the audience, are all present(“in the room where it happens” so to speak) for the sexually-charged exploits of She and He… …but then again, it doesn’t feel we are supposed to be there…but then, suddenly, we are back in the room again…but then, a second later, once more it feels like we’re not supposed to be there…but then we are, etc. The fourth wall gets broken repeatedly but then we are made to feel like we should actually be allowing the couple some privacy.
There are numerous head-scratching moments like the above throughout the production and, if that was the intent, it succeeds. However, the approach taken simultaneously does not heighten any of the sexual tension, nor does it help us bond with any of the other characters who, as mentioned, are underwritten. No matter the drawbacks of the script itself, the actors and creative team involved elevate the material as best as they can.
By the time we reach the conclusion of "STAGE KISS" we are surprised by a marvelously structured and equally startling revelation that helps to compensate for the play’s other shortcomings.
Read the Full Article Here: https://www.metrmag.com/latest-reviews/stage-kiss-by-sarah-ruhl-psych-drama-company-boston-ma-review
The Harvard Crimson Review
By Ria S. Cuélla-Koh
February 25th, 2025
Those familiar with theater have likely heard the term “showmance” before — and perhaps also its many, many accompanying warnings. “Stage Kiss,” presented at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Plaza Black Box Theatre by The Psych Drama Company, follows a showmance deserving of that threatening reputation.
In a “in-the-round” configuration, the in-universe Director (Zachary Ryan Murphy) moved around and sat amongst the audience. Murphy cleverly used this to his advantage to sneak sly looks at the crowd and elicit more giggles. (...) She, played by Lippe — also Artistic Director for The Psych Drama Company — conveyed the neurotic, complicated layers of a woman eager to escape the monotony of her life to a more passionate and dramatic world. Meanwhile, Kenny Kelleher’s He felt appropriately cynical and hammy. Lippe and Kelleher’s chemistry and dynamic as bitter exes locked in audiences immediately, and when they finally accepted their passion for one another at the end of Act 1, palpable tension evaporated from the theater. Aside from these two, standout performances came from David Kleinman as Kevin, the much-suffering director’s aide, and Melissa Myers playing three separate roles. Both leaned into the exaggerated nature of their characters, Kleinman affecting ridiculously deferential postures and Myers flipping between vocal deliveries to separate her characters. (...) As the relationship between He and She unraveled further, Lippe and Kelleher showcased their dramatic muscles in deeply moving sequences that probed whether or not any revitalized relationship can ever escape the shadow of their history. (...) These moments were nothing short of captivating — and make the eventual tender and hilarious reunion between She and her husband (a subtly scene-stealing Eric Cheung) all the more worthwhile.
By Ria S. Cuélla-Koh
February 25th, 2025
Those familiar with theater have likely heard the term “showmance” before — and perhaps also its many, many accompanying warnings. “Stage Kiss,” presented at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Plaza Black Box Theatre by The Psych Drama Company, follows a showmance deserving of that threatening reputation.
In a “in-the-round” configuration, the in-universe Director (Zachary Ryan Murphy) moved around and sat amongst the audience. Murphy cleverly used this to his advantage to sneak sly looks at the crowd and elicit more giggles. (...) She, played by Lippe — also Artistic Director for The Psych Drama Company — conveyed the neurotic, complicated layers of a woman eager to escape the monotony of her life to a more passionate and dramatic world. Meanwhile, Kenny Kelleher’s He felt appropriately cynical and hammy. Lippe and Kelleher’s chemistry and dynamic as bitter exes locked in audiences immediately, and when they finally accepted their passion for one another at the end of Act 1, palpable tension evaporated from the theater. Aside from these two, standout performances came from David Kleinman as Kevin, the much-suffering director’s aide, and Melissa Myers playing three separate roles. Both leaned into the exaggerated nature of their characters, Kleinman affecting ridiculously deferential postures and Myers flipping between vocal deliveries to separate her characters. (...) As the relationship between He and She unraveled further, Lippe and Kelleher showcased their dramatic muscles in deeply moving sequences that probed whether or not any revitalized relationship can ever escape the shadow of their history. (...) These moments were nothing short of captivating — and make the eventual tender and hilarious reunion between She and her husband (a subtly scene-stealing Eric Cheung) all the more worthwhile.
Edge Media - Press Features
Grab Your Valentine: ‘Stage Kiss’ Opens this Week
February 11th, 2025 - By Killian Melloy
Psych Drama Company's production of "Stage Kiss," Sarah Ruhl's comedy about two actors caught between past and present – and reality and romance – opens this week at the Plaza Black Box Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts. It's the perfect show for a Valentine's Day outing!
"Stage Kiss" is among the Pulitzer-nominated Ruhl's most provocative and emotional plays, delving into the "showmance" of two actors caught up in the passions of a vintage play about love and death – and caught up in their own unresolved, decades-ago romance.
The play "allows us to work with the psychologically powerful and meaningful themes of love, loss, memory, and fantasy, but it does so with levity, humor, quirkiness and joy," says star Wendy Lippe – who is also the Founding Artistic Director of Psych Drama Company.
The innovative immersive production brings the play's passions to the audience by bringing the audience into the midst of the action. All the world's a stage in this exploration of love and art, and it's on the stage that reality and performance start to merge.
"The deeper meaning at the heart of this particular immersive conceptualization is that Ruhl's 'love letter to actors' is really a 'love letter to all of us,'" Lippe adds. "Aren't we all actors in our lives and relationships whether we perform on stage or not? And in an age of utter chaos and confusion over what is real, we are all dealing with the tension between artifice and authenticity; and we are all searching for what feels real and true, just like the characters in the play."
Says Lippe's co-star, Kenny Kelleher, "'Stage Kiss' is doing a pretty damn good job of lifting our spirits in this mess of a time right now.
"It's always great to have another world to disappear into when your own is uncertain. And just like we experience this play and hope that the characters come out better for it by the end of their stories, I hope, from deep down, that we all do, too."
Read the full article here: https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/337885
Dangerously Sexy 'Stage Kiss' Gets Immersive Production Next Month from Boston's Psych Drama Company
January 14th, 2025 - By Killian Melloy
The Psych Drama Company presents an experimental and immersive production of Sarah Ruhl's "Stage Kiss," directed by acclaimed NYC director Rani O'Brien. In this uniquely immersive and experimental production, audience members will have the option to actively participate in the show.
Sarah Ruhl's "Stage Kiss" will be at the Boston Center for the Arts from February 13th through February 23rd, 2025.
A dangerously sexy comedy, "Stage Kiss" by Sarah Ruhl brings us to the edge of love, passion, and the blurring of fantasy and reality. Described as a "love letter to actors," "Stage Kiss" lures us into the psychology of the "showmance" and elevates it tenfold.
Rani O'Brien's extensive credits include work with celebrated institutions such as The Second City, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Lark, Pacific Symphony, and McCarter Theatre Center. O'Brien, who holds an MFA in Directing from Boston University, brings a fresh vision to Ruhl's work, blending her skill in both comedy and drama to capture the nuanced layers of Stage Kiss. For more about Rani O'Brien and her work, visit her website.
This playful and thought-provoking romantic comedy tells the story of two actors with a past who are cast as romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama. As the line between onstage and offstage romance blurs, their lives spiral into a whirlwind of emotion, humor, and surreal moments.
The talented cast includes Wendy Lippe as "She" and Kenneth Kelleher as "He," Melissa Myers as Angela/Millicent/Maid, Julia Trueblood as Laurie/Millicent, Eric Cheung as Husband, David Kleinman as Kevin, and Zach Murphy as Director.
"Stage Kiss" will be performed February 13 - 23, 2025 at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116. For further details, please visit The Psych Drama Company website. For ticket information, visit bostontheatrescene.com.
Read the full article here: https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/337370
Audience Praise
I saw Stage Kiss by Psych Drama Company on February 15, 2025. This was an amazing show & the entire cast of the Psych Drama Company in it, was fabulous. Truly. I was shocked at the program “resumes”, to boot(!) Every person I interacted with in this experience from staff to actors / actresses to patrons, was a sheer delight. I cannot tell you how much this opportunity to be in the audience of live theatre again meant to me. As a shadow pandemic survivor, I never thought I’d be able to afford a seat in the theatre again. I’ve missed it like breathing. It was my muse previous to launching a fashion line. I’ve been hoping to get back to it. I used to see every show back in the Carolina’s without fail for years. But much about my resources changed since coming here. Without ODA, there would have been no “first” show this year. I feel honored to have found you and to discover Psych Drama Company and the work of Wendy Lippe. As someone who has had a history of abusive Valentines Days where I was a victim, this year was a change of tides, a treat, an act of self-care and self-love. As an artist, this was my language, and hit home. Everything about the show surprised me; and I hate romances. But, so eager was I to be in the theatre again, I chose it. I’m so glad I did. What a hilarious show, but also thought-provoking and life changing. I loved the immersive experience and it became a first step in other healing goals. I thank everyone involved for making this possible. In 5 years here I have relentlessly gone without much relief. This served in ways that will multiply. I hold out hope yet in the good of humankind. This was hope sorely needed at a critical time, laughs and smiles that will pay my soul in dividends. Without hesitation, I would recommend this show to anyone and have already been spreading the word. I just loved it! Wendy’s performance was heartfelt as was her live discussion afterwards. Real recognizes real. As an artist myself, her group felt as kindred spirits doing their work for all the right reasons.
Bless ‘em.
Thanks again,
Deanna Nagle, CZT
NAMI Member