The laughs barely let up until the end of Stage Kiss. Written by Sarah Ruhl, the show centres on the awkwardness of running into a past lover, heightened when two actors, once lovers, find themselves playing each other’s romantic interest in a 1930s melodrama.

Emma Delle-Vedove stars as Ada and Jason Spindlow (Johnny) perfectly matched opposite her. As former lovers, the pair are quickly swept into the romance, unable to deny their shared chemistry, especially as their roles demand intimacy and a lot of kissing. Initial resistance gives way to passion and desire, lines are crossed, and performance and reality blur.

Under Alice Livingstone’s direction, the humour in Ruhl’s satiric, innuendo-laden script lands superbly, especially in the “hunky-dory” but dreadful play-within-a-play.

Nicholas Papademetriou is hilariously flamboyant as the Director, Lynden Jones plays Ada’s frustrated husband with a grounded restraint, Nicola Denton brings a lively energy to her daughter Angie, and Victoria Fowler delivers a cool confidence to Johnny’s girlfriend. Frank Shanahan is a standout as Kevin and later a pimp. His precise enunciation and exaggerated expressions earn the audience’s favour, and that love continues into Act Two when the crowd roars with laughter seeing him dressed by costume designer Bianca De Nicola as a 1970s pimp with bell-bottom purple pants and a fur coat.

Dialect coach Benjamin Purser has done a great job, especially with Delle-Vedove and Spindlow,  who shift convincingly between multiple accents including Northern Irish and Brooklyn.

Stage Kiss could almost be divided into two separate productions, with Act One and Act Two feeling and looking quite different. There is almost no staging for the first half of the play. Set in a rehearsal space, Merle Leuschner creates a blank space with simple foldable chairs. The second half of the play is set in a messy New York apartment. The rose-tinted glasses are off, we’ve left the 1930s, evidenced by the Foo Fighters poster on the wall, but the drama continues, most notably in a moment where Ada screams “shut the f@* up” at the noise of traffic.

As Livingstone notes, “Stage Kiss is a delightful glimpse behind the scenes of making theatre”. It strips away the glamour, finding humour in the challenges of acting, particularly when working opposite an unresponsive or less skilled partner. While the production will appeal broadly, it holds particular resonance for those in the performance industry. However, given the importance now placed on the role of intimacy coordinators, it’s unlikely that the issues faced by the actors in this fantasy production would occur, highlighting the skill Sonya Kerr brings as intimacy coordinator for this show.

Stage Kiss is an entertaining, laugh-a-minute show. Returning to a past love is rarely the hopeful, romantic picture we imagine, and this production riotously drives that point home.

4 stars

Presented by New Theatre Stage Kiss is playing in Newtown, Sydney until 11 April 2026.

Run Time: 2 hours and 35 minutes

For tickets visit New Theatre