Review: STOP KISS at Georgetown Palace Theatre

When Diana Son’s Stop Kiss premiered Off-Broadway in 1998, it drew praise for its fresh, unflinching portrayal of love between two women at a time when queer stories were still rare on mainstream stages. The play follows Callie (Grace Simmons), a traffic reporter in New York, and Sara (Cait Rudd), a schoolteacher newly arrived from St. Louis, as their friendship deepens unexpectedly into romance. Told in a non-linear structure, the script alternates between the giddy, tentative moments of their courtship and the aftermath of a violent assault that leaves Sara hospitalized. The device layers intimacy and tragedy side by side, revealing both the sweetness of new love and the cost of public vulnerability.

The dual timeline, while conceptually rich, does alter the story’s rhythm. Because we know from the outset where events are headed, the suspense of how these women will navigate their feelings is reduced. Instead of simmering with uncertainty, the romance feels largely inevitable, lessening the dramatic tension that could make their connection more gripping. For a story built on the slow recognition of unspoken attraction, that absence of build is a missed opportunity.

There are moments of tenderness between the characters, such as their first kiss and a quiet hospital care routine, but they are few and far between. These are undermined by the brief scenes that often shift quite abruptly from present to past and back again, preventing the audience from the emotional connection they might crave. While in the Palace’s production the transitions between locations and timelines is quite slow, they do little to strike a connection and rather stall the momentum the story is striving to build. While some of this timing is understandable, given the shifts from a battered Sara in the hospital to a vibrant Sara ready for a night out, the pacing would benefit from sharper, more fluid execution. With practice, these changes could preserve momentum without losing the necessary transformation.

The set (designed by Morgan Taylor Meyers) is minimal yet evocative, with a modest New York apartment and a hospital room conjuring the necessary sense of place without excess. It is always striking how a small venue such as the Palace Playhouse can be transformed into a complete world with so little.

The script’s characterizations lean heavily into familiar archetypes: New Yorkers as blunt and brash (the Detective, Callie, George) and Midwesterners as sunny, naive optimists. These shortcuts can flatten individuality, and here they sometimes do. Not every New Yorker is rude and not every Midwesterner is endlessly nice. Shades of complexity could only strengthen the story.

As Sara, Rudd starts quietly, almost reserved, but gradually expands into warmth and vulnerability, creating a believable emotional arc. Callie, written as a restless, sharp-witted New Yorker, demands a balance of quick banter and emotional control. Simmons plays the restlessness literally, with near-constant movement and minimal direct eye contact, which can dilute the intimacy between the leads. Whether by directorial intent or personal choice, it keeps the chemistry from fully sparking.

Supporting turns include Darwin Ragsdate as George, Callie’s on-and-off love interest; Spencer Flynn as Peter, Sara’s dull ex-boyfriend; Amanda Faul as the nosey Mrs. Winsley and the Nurse; and Andrew Fisher as Detective Cole.

Many plays in the LGBTQ canon tell stories that resonate across identity lines, inviting any audience to feel the thrill, risk, and joy of connection. In this staging, Stop Kiss does not quite get there for me. The sincerity is undeniable, and the company’s commitment to the material is evident, but the pacing and character work leave the emotional arc front-loaded, with less left to discover as the night unfolds.

The Palace production has sincerity at its core, and the director and actor’s commitment to telling the story is evident. Yet in theatre, timing is everything, and here, the emotional beats land too early, leaving the rest of the evening with nowhere to go.

Duration: 90 minutes plus one 15-20 minute intermission

STOP KISS

Book by Diana Son

Directed by Morgan Urbanovsky

Now Playing Through September 7th, 2025

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30PM

Sundays at 2:00PM

Georgetown Palace Playhouse

810 South Austin Ave. | Georgetown, Texas 78626