Reaction Theatre have coupled a great pair of short plays by
David Finnigan and Isab Martinez about the intimacy of kissing.
The first play, to
heat you up and cool you down, is set at rush hour in a cheap café. Two
waitresses are run off their feet, their minds anywhere but on the routine of
their work. One character’s thoughts appear as projected text on the back of
the set and sometimes as voiceover; the other character’s thoughts are manifest
physically, played by another actor.
It’s a tricky text to perform, intercutting the different
kinds of media slows the momentum in moments; we don’t always feel the
characters are having these thoughts but merely reacting. Occasionally all the
elements fall into place, particularly in the moment where the two waitresses
kiss for the first time, complicated by one character’s confusion over how own
sexuality.
The second play, which gives us the overall title of the
night – Appropriate Kissing for All
Occasions – is a monologue, a lecture about kissing by an expert in personal
relationships. Actor Christina McLachlan is striking in her red dress and
heels, ready to tell us about kissing and to give demonstrations on the
different kinds.
There’s tension throughout this piece as McLachlan finds
audience targets and her lecturer character begins to unravel, reminded of her
own recent relationship and how a kiss isn’t always just a kiss. It’s a fun,
accomplished performance.
This is a solid pair of plays but the first one (the order
of the plays was switched late in the run) about the waitresses wasn’t nearly as
smooth as it could have been. The second one was much more straight forward and
the audience interaction made it fascinating and fun.
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