Stage Kiss
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https://newtheatre.org.au/stage-kiss/
Date Reviewed: 27/03/2026
'When I kissed you just now, did it feel like an actor kissing an actor or a person kissing a person...?
Such is the quandary, the main characters depicted in the play STAGE KISS face within this clever and funny romantic comedy.
Two actors, Ada Wilcox and Johnny Lowell, former lovers, are unexpectedly cast opposite each other during the making of a 1930s melodrama. The mix of humour, desire and the complexity of relationships is the stuff that is tested in this play where life imitates art and in turn art imitates life, as the lines between performance and reality become blurred beyond recognition.
The piece is the work of Sarah Ruhl the American Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominated playwright, poet and author, and is full of the clever dialogue and wit one would expect from Ruhl's writing. Ruhl is quoted as saying, 'I wanted to write a play about the phenomenon of kissing on stage'. Which is exactly what she has done. The kissing is continuous and quite hilarious at times.
The performance, presented by both the cast and creatives at the New Theatre Newtown, is a feast of witty dialogue, uncomfortable but humorous situations as well as a well presented and professional piece. The 2 hours and 25 minutes (which includes an interval) is non-stop, as simple stage settings are cleverly used to their full potential, as we move from an audition scenario which immediately captures the audience’s interest and draws them in, through to the aftermath, presented as a behind-the-scenes reveal and character interplay.
Audience reaction to the performance I attended was very positive. The laughs keep coming one after the other as the cast's skilled timing manages to pull in the laughs just, as I am sure, Ruhl intended.
The cast presents strong character development and a convincing performance, with standout performances by Emma Delle-Vedove as Ada Wilcox and Nicholas Papademetriou as the Director. Jason Spindlow's Irish accent is one to be adored and not missed.
STAGE KISS is directed by Alice Livingstone. The cast includes Delle-Vedove, Nicola Denton, Victoria Fowler, Lynden Jones, Nicholas Papademetriou, Frank Shanahan and Jason Spindlow.
Set design is by Merle Leuschner, costume design by Bianca De Nicola and lighting design by Holly Nesbitt
STAGE KISS is a definite recommendation and is currently running from Wednesday 18 February through to Saturday 11 April, at the New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown NSW.
Reviewed by Vincent Brincat