Review: STOP KISS at The Bridge Initiative

Every couple deserves a space to feel safe, accepted, celebrated, and normal. Although a milestone was crossed in 2015 with the legalization of gay marriage in the United States, many people, both in and outside of the United States, are still unable to love freely. The Bridge Initiative’s performance of Diana Son’s play, STOP KISS, is a reminder of both the not-so-distant past and the homophobia that is still present today.

Set in New York City during the 1990s, the play follows two women and their budding romance. Callie (Kate Haas) is a helicopter traffic reporter who has lived in the city since college. Sara (Natalie Andrews) moves to the city from St. Louis, Missouri, to teach third grade in the Bronx. The two meet when Callie agrees to watch Sara’s cat, as Sara was a friend of one of Callie’s old friends. Although this plot seems like the start of a cute romance, the audience quickly learns there are even higher stakes. There are two points of the women’s stories highlighted in the play. In the later time point, you learn that the pair was a victim of a brutal hate crime, as Callie recounts the events to Detective Cole (Paul Perkins). The attack is not shown, but the audience learns that Sara was attacked after trying to stand up to a man harassing the two of them. The attack left Callie with a cracked rib and Sara in a coma.

The framing of the story is the perfect way to create dread. In the story surrounding their meeting and early romance, it quickly becomes evident that their story is quickly marching toward a hate crime. It creates a bittersweet feeling watching the women’s happiness, knowing that soon enough, this happiness and their sense of normalcy will be destroyed. A major conflict between the two women is that Callie is well-aware of the dangers of the city and the threats women are exposed to, while Sara has a more starry-eyed view of the city and a confrontational nature. There are several times throughout the story where Callie warns Sara not to engage. Every warning Callie gives is a reminder of what is to come.

The play thrives in its normalcy. This is not a whirlwind romance; it is just two women who happen to meet and fall for each other. The chemistry between the actresses felt very realistic. There is a level of awkwardness to the romance that you would expect with any new couple. The buildup of feelings felt very comfortable, but there was a clear spark between the two from their first meeting. As they develop feelings and a friendship, there are several moments where the characters are clearly trying to subtly see if the other is interested in women. Both women had previous relationships with men. Callie has an on-again-off-again thing with her long-time friend George (Mitchell Glass), and Sara left her long-time boyfriend, Peter (Phillip Beaupre), to move to the city. Callie’s relationship with George was an excellent layer to her character. There is still a clear attraction between the two, and she is never forced or conflicted about her attraction to either gender, a refreshing interpretation of bisexuality.

The characters’ flaws are another grounding factor in the play. Every character feels multifaceted. Additionally, there is no on-stage villain in the story. The true villain is the only mentioned criminal who hurts the women. His facelessness makes hate the true antagonistic force of the show. The dangers women and members of the LGBTQ+ community face are the real threat. For instance, even though it is evident that Sara does not want to get back with Peter again, and Peter’s interactions with Callie are very tense and uncomfortable, audience members can still understand his motivations. It makes sense that he would not be rational. There is a lot of care put into the characters in STOP KISS from both the original writer and the show’s director, Maren Mascarelli. Even characters who are less prevalent in the women’s stories feel fleshed out. For example, Mrs. W (Thommi A’mal), who called the police after hearing the hate crime, is thoroughly developed and given her own conflict: a husband who is having an affair. The direction and staging made it very easy to slip into the immersion of the story and the NYC setting.

STOP KISS is a slice-of-life look into what women and members of the LGBTQ+ community faced in the 90s but continue to face today. It is a reminder that for every story you hear about hate crimes or homophobia, there was a person or a couple just trying to live their lives. The Bridge Initiative production did a wonderful job of highlighting the everyday joys of falling in love, with the looming, ever-present threat of homophobia.

STOP KISS plays at Tempe Center for the Arts through March 15th.

The Bridge Initiative- https://bridgeinit.org

Venue: Tempe Center for the Arts -- 700 W Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, AZ 85281

Photo Credit to Jason Walz: Natalie Andrews and Kate Haas