Review: STAGE KISS at Equinox Theater

Stage Kiss, by Sarah Ruhl, is a comedy that takes the play within a play concept and shows how two actors with a past are cast as leading man and woman in a lost 1930's play and how they too begin to mesh the lines between offstage and onstage.

In a time when things can get too serious too fast, Equinox Theater delivers a performance that will keep you laughing. With the spot on comedic timing from the ensemble, Director Deb Flomberg was able to craft a journey not only filled with humor but also showing many universal truths about theater and love.

One of the more interesting concepts from the play is the lack of names for the two lead actors. It allowed for my mind to fill in the blanks that they left open and relate to the characters in more ways than one. In the play we follow the main character, Kristine Blackport (She), from audition to close of the show. Blackport did a great job playing the comedy in every awkward situation her character was put into. Of course those awkward situations wouldn't have been nearly as awkward without Blackport's leading man, Kenneth Stellingwerf (He.) Stellingwerf's performance complimented the flighty nature of his leading lady with brusque masculinity. Joey Wishnia (The Director) did a phenomenal job creating a character that was unique and yet encompassed characteristics of every kind of director you have worked with.

The technical aspects of the show really added to the feeling of being in a play within a play. Stage Manager Lauren Meyer makes a few cameos as the stage manager of the play inside the play. Choreographer Christian Munck created a crutch dance that had me rolling in my seat. The lighting by designer Colin Roybal was utilized smartly to denote the changes in perspective.

The Bug Theater provided an ideal space for this production. It was intimate but not in your lap. The way they used the front proscenium space gave the impression the actors were always performing even when the setting wasn't onstage. Overall, the performance was an entertaining night of laughs and an enjoyable evening all around.

Stage Kiss presented by Equinox Theater performs Fridays and Saturdays through April 15th, 2017. Tickets are available online at equinoxtheatredenver.com or by calling the box office at (303) 477-5977. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

Photography Credit: Christine Fisk