Reviews
Adelaide Theatre Guide Review
Galleon Theatre Group has made a valiant attempt at tackling "Stage Kiss", a very funny, very clever piece from modern American playwright Sarah Ruhl.
Ruhl delights in taking a motif or idea as a specimen and using the theatre as an instrument to poke and prod it. In "Stage Kiss" the specimen is the art of theatre itself and the consequences of a life spent in it, where there is a very blurred line between one's professional and private lives.
A washed-up, out of work actress, played by Anita Zamberlan Canala, is cast in a play alongside her former lover played by Andrew Clark. The play-within-the-play - a laughably clichéd 1930s melodrama - sets the stage for Canala's character to question why they ever separated, and whether a life of domestic bliss with her now-husband is all it's cracked up to be. Canala and Clark share wonderful chemistry and play off each other perfectly. There is a side-splitting scene between them later in the play which, without giving too much away, involves a particularly dubious attempt at an Irish accent - all for the sake of art, of course.
"Stage Kiss" is a love-hate letter to the work of stagecraft. Those who have worked in the theatre will recognise the jumpy, fedora-wearing "Director" (Adrian Heness) all too well. He's the type that doesn't believe in rehearsal plans and calls for a break every five minutes, so confident is he in the sheer force of his own brilliance. The play is full of memorable lines and observations which hit like a flash of lightning: "My mother," Canala starts on the vanity of actors, "always told me not to marry someone who spends more time looking in the mirror than you do."
Heness plays his role a little too much like a caricature, and he's not the only one. Unfortunately, the heavy-handed direction misses the fact that the characters, with their hopes and dreams, are not objects of ire, but of sympathy. There are laughs, but the overacting clouds some of the script's thoughtful, quiet moments. Some scenes - especially one where Canala's character is paid a visit from her family - are played dangerously close to the sort of melodrama Ruhl is lampooning.
The mousy understudy, played by Anthony Vawser in a nuanced performance, is the comic gel of every scene he's in. The set design, based on a concept by Brittany Daw, utilizes the space effectively for the setting of both acts. There were some projection issues from the entire cast, especially when laughter drowned out the dialogue.
"Stage Kiss" is a very clever play, and some of that cleverness is sadly missing from this production. But it was still a pleasure for some wonderful performances, and for the sheer brilliance of Ruhl's writing itself.
Reviewed by George Jankovic
Broadway World Review
Plays within plays give audiences a wonderful opportunity to laugh while glimpsing the secret world of actors. Think of Shakespeare's mechanicals in A Midsummer Night's Dream or Michael Frayn's Noises Off. Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss, presented by Galleon Theatre Group, follows in this tradition and is just plain fun and filled with laugh-out-loud comic moments. It does get a bit confusing in the second half though, which isn't the fault of this production but rather of the play itself as it tries to do too many things and becomes over-complicated.
Director, Sally Putnam has pulled together a strong cast and the acting is very fine. From the very first scene, Anita Zamberlan Canala, as She, holds the stage and continues to fascinate us throughout the play. Her demonstration of the audition nerves suffered by an actor desperate to return to the stage, after an absence of many years, was perfect. In particular, the brittle veneer of self-confidence that shatters as she drops her bag, and her 'life' falls, out was painfully funny, as were her exasperated and increasingly steely comments to the director as the weeks go past and the rehearsals continue.
Adrian Heness, as the bumbling, gangly, and unfocussed director, gives us a perfect character study of a first-time director and then first-time playwright who is over-confident and brimming with enthusiasm yet doesn't yet know what he is doing. And then there is He, played by Andrew Clark, giving us a perfect rendition of a leading man's mix of laconic arrogance and charm. The characters of She and He also deliver to us the complication that any play requires, in that they were lovers long ago at the start of their acting careers and now, in this case of art imitating life, they have to play ex-lovers who still find each other very interesting.
The confluence of art and life is continued in the shape of Scott Battersby who is both the husband of She, the actor, and then, as a completely different person, her husband Harrison in the melodrama that they are rehearsing, and then play. Battersby moves between these roles with a strong characterisation that provides nuance to both husbands. Anthony Vawser slides across four roles woven in and out of each of the plays, but a particular favourite was his cameo of a perfect German-accented Freudian doctor delivering bad news. Grainne O'Connell as the daughter, both within the play and within the melodrama, brings to life the knowingness and vulnerability of youth. Finally, Samara Gambling plays both the girlfriend of He, and the best friend in the melodrama, where she most delightfully sweeps across the stage like a galleon in full sail.
Are you with me so far? To recap, we have three actors playing one role each; Director, She, and He, although the latter two also play roles in the melodrama, which is a pastiche of a 1930s sub-Noel Coward melodrama, complete with romantic songs, flowing costumes, plummy accents, exaggerated gestures, and overblown lines.
Then we have four other actors who each have numerous roles, both in supposed real life and within the melodrama. In the course of this very funny first act, which will undoubtedly improve with a bit more pace, the dying wife recovers under the influence of her ex-lover, to the chagrin of her stage husband, and, in real life, the ex-lovers, She and He, who have had to kiss on stage something over two hundred times, have fallen in love all over again. The highlight of the show for me was the wonderfully undercut schmaltziness of Zamberlan Canala singing the melodrama's big romantic duet number, as she dances around He, who can only lift one of his crutches to dance with her. Absolute magic.
The second act starts with the two actors in bed together, because She has left her husband and her teenage daughter and they are determined to continue joint acting careers.
I must confess that, from this point onwards, the whole thing started to fall apart for me. What, up to now, had been complicated, but amusing, now lurched towards confusing and obscure. Samara Gambling, as Laurie, the school-teacher partner of He, comes home to find them in bed together. The husband and daughter arrive, the school teacher feeds the daughter a sandwich, the Director bursts in and wants to direct the actors in a play he has written, where She gets to play a prostitute and He an IRA hitman who is also her lover. In this new play the Director becomes increasingly frantic and despotic, the stage kisses become rough and aggressive, Vawser, as Kevin, the actor from the first play, becomes a fight coach to help the actors with their movements, but later morphs into a pimp who turns up to shoot someone, but ends up shooting himself. Then the husband wants his wife to teach him how to act so that he can kiss her on a stage, and He bids them a fond farewell; twice.
I imagine the playwright was trying to make a comparison between the unreality of the schmaltzy romance of the thirties and the equal unreality of today's sleazy and gritty realistic dramas. It was all a little too much for me, though.
The acting, as I said, was excellent, as was pretty much every other aspect of the production, in particular, the costuming by Trisha Graham, with She requiring numerous outfits, all of which were in keeping both with her as an actor, and with the roles that she was supposedly playing. The set for the first act, I thought, could have been simplified, as the various set changes between very short scenes slowed the pace somewhat. It was more effective in the second act. As usual, with Galleon, the lighting by James Allenby was spot on.
I would recommend Stage Kiss to audiences who just want a good fun night out and are prepared to leave logic at the door.
Reviewed by Eddy and Justene Knight, Thursday 31st March 2022.
GLAM Adelaide Review
The warning's on the tin. There's a lot of kissing in this show. But this is not a rom-com. Nor is it a farce. It's a show about actors, truth and craft. Written by American playwright Sarah Ruhl (she of In the Next Room; or The Vibrator Play) it was first performed in Chicago in 2011. There are theatrical tropes, stage terminology, many genres (including romantic comedy, farce, mannered 1930's melodrama, an ill-conceived contemporary New York drama, and even shreds of sung music), three states for the set, and a multiplicity of roles for most actors. It's as if Ruhl wanted to create a vehicle in which actors could display as many characters, accents and styles as possible. Narrative comes off a badly bruised second to bravura.
Director Sally Putnam bravely marshals a strong troupe of performers. The collective wisdom, insight and experience of Putnam and her cast manage to make some sense - and much entertainment - from this overstuffed script. Tonight's audience laughed a lot.
I will not bore you with an overview of timelines and plays within plays. Suffice it to say that the two main actors (imaginatively named "He" and "She") play actors. The show opens with an audition scene, then into rehearsals, for the remount of a creaky old 1930's musical melodrama. It's corny, poorly written and acted with histrionic energy and a fine disregard for sincerity. Just right! For our actors ("He" and "She", see above) are merely acting in this melodrama. They are ex-lovers who must, for the purposes of this schlock, kiss frequently and declare undying love fifteen years after their acrimonious breakup. "He" is played by Andrew Clark. His character is American; the characters he plays as "He" are upper-crust Englishman and IRA terrorist. Clark adopts the lazy authority of your old-school Leading Man. His accent work is mostly fine, and he brings reliability and confidence to his roles. For this, his fellow actors must bless him. "She", another American actor, is played by Anita Zamberlan Canala, Her characters in the two plays-within-a-play are British aristocrat and Brooklyn hooker. Zamberlan Canala is a thorough and careful actor whose accents are as secure as her intentions. She's clear and capable all night, come what may.
The role of Director, Adrian Schwalbach, as played by lanky Adrian Heness, has all the desperate bouncy-puppy energy of a first-time director. He cannot fathom why anyone would care about anything other than the play he is directing. Heness is the only performer in the cast who only uses his standard (educated Australian) accent. He doesn't double up on roles. His Schwalbach is a daddy-long-legs crackling with kinetic energy; hunched, then restlessly gesturing, pacing and goading. This is a memorably manic performance which helps power everyone on stage.
Scott Battersby manages both of his roles (Husband and Harrison) with efficient charm. He never does too much (and that's high praise in a melodrama). However, the scene he has with Zamberlan Canala at the very end of the play is remarkable. His work with her is outstanding for its clarity, sincerity and truth.
Enthusiastic Anthony Vawser's character list (Kevin/Butler/Doctor/Pimp) keeps him busy; he does a lot of good comic foil work throughout the piece, with laughter his frequent reward. Samara Gambling (Millicent/Laurie) brings effective performances of two vastly different characters, while Grainne O'Connell, given three different characters to portray (Angela/Maid/Millie), manages to inject memorable humour into each.
Set design works well (especially the tarted-up 30's set), lighting design (James Allenby) is well-planned, delivering energy to the performance. Costuming (Tricia Graham) is carefully co-ordinated and appropriate. Overall, Putnam's direction is thoughtful and intelligent. However, once the second act was under way, I sensed that faint wetly smacking sound which tells us that sharks are being jumped.
Theatre people will especially enjoy this play because of its insights into the world of the actor and the theatre-maker. I think that those theatre folks would join me in applauding everyone (cast, crew and creatives) who worked so hard to make an entertaining narrative out of Ruhl's relentlessly jam-packed text.
Reviewed by Pat. H. Wilson
Stage Whispers Review
"Stage Kiss", written by award winning playwright Sarah Ruhl is a quirky piece of writing that challenges the actors and whole production team to develop and deliver multiple theatre styles using a 'play within a play' approach to deliver both a tongue in cheek melodrama and a sometimes poignant comedy as the wrapping for a message about real love conquering lust.
Well respected Adelaide Director Sally Putnam, true to Galleon's inclusive use of experienced and less experienced actors, has gathered a cast that includes award winning actor Andrew Clark as He, and multi-faceted actor Anita Zamberlan Canala, as She. Canala relishes this role and is a standout, not just as the nearly 'washed up' former love of He, but as the witty and zany about to die, but saved by lust 1920s female siren in the play that this raggle taggle company is mounting. Canala is supremely confident with comedic dialogue, moves and nuances, and her consistency with accent is pleasing, thereby ensuring that the audience can easily follow what could be a convoluted storyline. Her routine during a rehearsal that proves that a kiss is not just a kiss is well choreographed, and entirely believable, and she is at her very best with Clark in their melodramatic scenes that include wonderful lines describing having a relationship with an actor when she says, 'Never marry a man who looks in the mirror more than you do.' Clark and Canala work well together and had the audience chortling loudly during a cleverly presented duet using crutches so inventively as to make Spiderman envious.
Putnam uses her cast and crew well to move props, costumes, set and furnishings. It allows the audience to see how a play is developed and created whilst ensuring that the action is not interrupted. Lighting by James Allenby is used effectively to highlight some important moments including He and She in separate spotlights doing parallel dialogue apart, but together. The set, based on a design by Brittany Daw, appears simple, but by the end of the first act we see a stylish Deco style set that showcases the melodrama well and the second act scene cleverly has multiple uses. Wardrobe by Trisha Graham has used simple pieces of clothing to effectively and quickly delineate the multiple characters that most of the cast portray, the 'glamour' pieces for Canala being particularly eye catching.
St Clair is a skilled and seasoned performer. Her performance is confident and nuanced; her accent is clipped and reflective of her social position and her timing, essential in a farce, is excellent.
COVID has had a serious impact on community and professional theatre and Galleon have taken three attempts to present Stage Kiss to their audiences. Multiple interruptions have likely affected the time needed to work with supporting cast members' onstage position, accent and projection. Adrian Heness as the Director has a very individual approach and a strong Australian accent whilst Anthony Vawser moved between four roles, my favourite being the Doctor in the melodrama. Scott Battersby's stage presence developed in the second act when, as the devoted, cuckolded husband, he attempted to woo his straying wife back. Samara Gambling and Grainne O'Connell have more than one character role and also work hard on stage, almost invisibly moving set pieces and props to keep the story moving smoothly. Both actors would benefit from work on accents and projection, but both were enthusiastic and disciplined, O'Connell delivering her first non-school related role.
An evening with Galleon is like a warm hug. Community sponsorship means complimentary sherry is offered on arrival and bargain basement price raffle tickets ensure that excited audience members have coveted prizes, also provided by loyal sponsors. The play is warm and cheerful, allowing the audience a cabaret or traditional seating outing, at a time when we all need to laugh and smile.
Reviewed by Jude Hines
Theatre Association of SA (TASA) Review
Director Sally Putnam and her cast did well to sustain the narrative and focus in this well-paced comedy. Beginning with auditions and rehearsals for the play-within-the-play and moving into the revived romance between that play's leads, known as "He" and "She", the overall performance had the necessary sure direction. That was all the more important because the script presented several non-sequential events. Given the play's title, it was no surprise that there was lots of on-stage and off-stage kissing. While that gave opportunity for some good physical comedy and romance, the title was essentially the symbolic link between the main characters' relationship in the staged and un-staged sequences.
Fortunately the two central characters Anita Zamberlan Canala as '"She", and Andrew Clark as '"He", really know their craft and they showed it. They held the whole often scarcely credible sequence of events together. In a play without much in the way of subtlety, both of these experienced performers were nuanced in handling their characters' ever-changing on-off-on-off romance, as well as the various characters and accents they were asked to play. Zamberlan Canala was solid, convincing and vulnerable in her portrayal of '"Her" part in that central relationship as well as with the other characters, especially '"Her" husband and daughter. Clark's fine timing and deep sense of comic theatre were apparent through all the twists and turns of the various plots. Both he and Zamberlan Canala, while playing the larger-than-life melodramatic characters in rehearsals of the revival of The Last Kiss, were broad and funny in their portrayals, without falling into mere overacting. That is not easy to sustain, yet they did so.
The supporting cast worked well as an ensemble. Adrian Heness was agitated and excited as the irritatingly incompetent Director. His silent movie inspired jerkiness added to the general comedy and, when necessary, the sense of disorder. Once he had established his erratic character, we found the absurd plot of the Director's own playscript to be almost credible. Scott Battersby was the perfect straight man, providing a nice contrast with the occasionally frantic action around him, while Grainne O'Connell as '"Her" daughter Angela, made the most of her appearances especially when being petulant. Samara Gambling was convincing as '"His" rather colourless partner, in strong contrast to '"Her" life and fire. Anthony Vawser was impressive in his multiple roles, which he differentiated skilfully. Kevin and the Doctor were especially well drawn.
The play is essentially a comedy yet with occasional underlying moments of serious truth. Galleon's director, cast and crew were definitely up to the task of exploiting both.
Reviewed by David Smith