Review: STAGE KISS Romances Round House

"You took the part that once was my heart so why not take all of me"

The lyrics to the jazz standard "All of Me" beautifully convey the sentiment of two people falling in love. But when two actors share a stage kiss it is natural for the oxytocin created in our pituitary glands to manifest and make those feelings intensify, but is it love? Now, take two actors, who are former lovers, and each involved in other relationships share a kiss and those hormonal levels are magnified and can bring out the worst or the best in people.

In Round House Theatre's magnificent production of Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss, those feelings are uncovered under the guise of a meta-play. The play on the surface seems like a backstage look at the acting process from audition to rehearsal to performance. On a superficial level, it is a bit modeled after Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate, but on a deeper level it is a look at relationships on a much more personal level.

The main character, known simply as "She", is a woman with many relationships: her husband, her lover, her fellow actors, her director, and her daughter. In the main role, Dawn Ursula is not only superbly cast for her comedy chops, but she gets to the heart of the character, which could become supercilious, but Ms. Ursula's attention to the characters nuances makes her She seem much more three dimensional and she gets to the heart of the character and the story. Ms. Ursula really gives She depth into the character's relationship with the other actors.

She's male costar, "He", is equally conflicted and just as Ms. Ursula, is equally portrayed. Gregory Wooddell is charming and he brings a debonair quality to the role that does not come off as cocky, but as sincere, and in the final act of the play, his character's resolution is subtly and powerfully portrayed. Together, Ms. Ursula and Mr. Wooddell, make a dynamic couple that expertly plays the subtext that Ms. Ruhl carefully weaved into the script.

Every member of the ensemble is finely tuned and together they are a tight troupe. Two of the standouts in the series of highlights is Michael Glenn in a variety of roles and newcomer Tyasia Velines as She's artistic daughter. Mr. Glenn appropriately chews the scenery when called for, yet finds the moments of his character's insecurities as a performer. Ms. Velines, in particular in her second act turn as She's daughter, Angela, is remarkable as the angsty teenager trying to teach her parents to become adults. Both performers excel not just in their moments in the spotlight, but also in their places in the background.

Ms. Ruhl's script is delightfully funny and poignant, which pokes fun at the backstage antics of theatre, but also gets to into the psyche of those characters. The only drawback to the "meta" aspects of the play, is that she tends to paint with broad strokes in some of the characters. Craig Wallace's portrayal of the Director is great and funny, but the character unfortunately falls victim to stereotyping.

Director Aaron Posner has put together a remarkable production. He is really tasked at directing three separate plays here. The first act, the rehearsal process of the quirky 1930s comedy that is being performed, he pulls together a great backstage look at theatre. The second part of the first act, the performance of said play, he nicely fits together with the rehearsal process and adds in some nice moments with the onstage and offstage parts. The strongest part of the show, however, is the more dark and dramatic second act. While still a comedy, Mr. Posner has his actors getting to the heart of the story, and making these actors human. He has turned what could be another meta-play into a play about love and that is the biggest part of this story.

Technically, Tony Cisek's amazing set design (or three set designs!) and James Bigbee Garver's sound design are the best parts. I particularly love how Mr. Cisek made a drastic change in tone between the two acts, and Mr. Garver's use of multiple versions of the jazz standard "All of Me", really added to the story and took it to a higher level.

Round House Theatre has put together an amazing production. You will definitely laugh a lot, but pay attention to the relationships, because there is a serious story of love and how you love (and hurt) those around you. The final lines of "All of Me" say, "You took the best, so why not take the rest, baby, take all of me". Round House has given us the best in this production, and you should indeed go and take the rest.

Stage Kiss runs through December 27, 2015 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, 4545 East-West Highway. For tickets call 240-644-1100 or visit their online box office.

Photo credits: Cheyenne Michaels

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