My inspiration for this post came from my dear, longtime blogging friend, Debbie @ Musings by an ND Domer's Mom, who is not only a gifted...
Two times in my theater career did I have to kiss someone onstage.
And both times it wasn’t just a quick peck on the lips, it was a very INVOLVED kiss.
And ironically enough, both times it happened to be with actors who we couldn't stand one another.
One was a man.
And one was a woman.
I was cast in a play based on a true story. It was a drama about the AIDS epidemic in New York City during the 1980’s. It was called, "The Norman Heart." I had the role of Ned Weeks (a character based off the author of the play, Larry Kramer)
It was a very intense show that we performed for six weeks, and I was incredibly happy when it was over because it was completely draining in so many ways. It was a three hour play containing 16 scenes. My character was in 14 of those scenes. And the topic was just so heavy.
Anyhow, about 10 minutes into the play my character happens to meet another man through a business encounter and we decide to make a date for dinner.
After dinner, the two of us go back to my apartment where after a few drinks and some talk about politics, we start making out on the couch.
Well, can I tell you something in private?
I would have MUCH rather been making out on the couch with Kermit the Frog.
Unfortunately, the actor playing my kiss-mate had the onstage passion of a piece of corrugated cardboard. He had no warmth or willingness. It felt as if he had an icy wall built around him.
AND…to top it off, he also had bad breath that smelled similar to Gorgonzola.
He and I never jelled from the start because our acting techniques were completely different. He liked to analyze and talk about everything, and I prefer to simply throw myself into a role and then see where it takes me during the rehearsal process. I like to leave a certain amount of spontaneity so that it feels organic.
This conflict, coupled with a personality clash, caused us to have ZERO chemistry onstage. Our chemistry resembled a dead horse on the side of a road. And that was very challenging for the both of us because our characters were meant to be passionate life-partners, who deeply cared for each other.
Therefore, we spent ten weeks (including rehearsal time) merely tolerating one another.
A stage kiss can be strange because you’re not really involved with one another on an intimate level, yet you must leave yourself open to create intimacy and passion.
Personally, I like to kiss. So, I had no reservations about doing it onstage in front of an audience, whether it was with a man or a woman. However, the person you're kissing also needs to contribute something to the kiss.
I remember the night we practiced the kissing scene in order to get a sense of timing and just how passionate it should be.
You haven’t lived until you’ve had a director stand about two feet from you, just staring, as you make out with someone over and over again; saying to you, “Could you just take a little pause here, and maybe go a little faster there?”
Me: (ok, CUT!…sorry, but I need a five minute break and a breath mint. I'm dying here.)
The other kiss was to a woman who I had prayed would NEVER have to work with.
And to be totally honest with you, her feelings about me were mutual.
From the first time we met one another, years before this experience, you could just sense an aura between the two of us that said…“You know, I really can’t stand you. And I hope we never get cast in a show together, other than a play about two people who kill each other with chainsaws.”
I find it so incredibly ironic how when you desperately try to avoid someone that you don't like, KARMA will always see to it that you have to KISS them onstage - just for the hell of it.
The play was called, "The Sisters Rosensweig" I had the role of New York "faux furrier" Merv Kant, a character who I absolutely loved.
In the play, the female lead and I portrayed two characters who meet by accident because someone gave me the wrong address. I ended up at her house, when I should have been somewhere else.
Quickly, my character falls head over heels for her and spends the next three acts trying to convince her that I’m the man she needs to spend the rest of her life with.
(yea…and I had to dig DEEP for that emotion, trust me)
After a dinner party at her house, all the guests go home leaving she and I alone; cleaning up cocktail glasses.
And after a long conversation, I decide to walk over to where she’s seated and kiss her. After the kiss, she and I walk hand in hand up the stairs to her bedroom, as the stage lights slowly fade to black.
Which concludes Act 1.
Now, I clearly remember the night during rehearsals when we had to practice our kiss for the first time.
You could feel the tension, as we were both thinking...
A. "Can I do this with someone I can't stand ?"
And B. "Can I make it look REAL?"
It was awkward, but we proceeded.
The director wanted the kiss to start off soft and gentle, and then gradually build into a “let me see if I can touch your tonsils with my tongue kiss.”
And the funny part about this, is that the actress who I was working with was married at the time and told me one night that her husband refused to come see her in the show because he couldn't bear to see her kissed by another man.
And I’m thinking,“Trust me buddy, you have NOTHING to worry about because after I kiss her each performance…she‘s all yours after the curtain goes down.”
Well, we both ended up making the kiss look real because we were professionals. And in this case our offstage dislike for each other worked for the characters in the play because there was supposed to be a tension between us. Besides, I loved the character that I played, so I enjoyed getting onstage every night, regardless of how I felt about the actress.
But I'll tell you, after our five-week run of the play, the two of us were happy to say, "Kiss off, baby!"
Someone once curiously asked me, “What was the difference between kissing the man and kissing the woman?”
My answer?
“No difference…
…they both gave me HORRENDOUS nightmares.”
And both times it wasn’t just a quick peck on the lips, it was a very INVOLVED kiss.
And ironically enough, both times it happened to be with actors who we couldn't stand one another.
One was a man.
And one was a woman.
Kiss #1
I was cast in a play based on a true story. It was a drama about the AIDS epidemic in New York City during the 1980’s. It was called, "The Norman Heart." I had the role of Ned Weeks (a character based off the author of the play, Larry Kramer)
It was a very intense show that we performed for six weeks, and I was incredibly happy when it was over because it was completely draining in so many ways. It was a three hour play containing 16 scenes. My character was in 14 of those scenes. And the topic was just so heavy.
Anyhow, about 10 minutes into the play my character happens to meet another man through a business encounter and we decide to make a date for dinner.
After dinner, the two of us go back to my apartment where after a few drinks and some talk about politics, we start making out on the couch.
Well, can I tell you something in private?
I would have MUCH rather been making out on the couch with Kermit the Frog.
Unfortunately, the actor playing my kiss-mate had the onstage passion of a piece of corrugated cardboard. He had no warmth or willingness. It felt as if he had an icy wall built around him.
AND…to top it off, he also had bad breath that smelled similar to Gorgonzola.
He and I never jelled from the start because our acting techniques were completely different. He liked to analyze and talk about everything, and I prefer to simply throw myself into a role and then see where it takes me during the rehearsal process. I like to leave a certain amount of spontaneity so that it feels organic.
This conflict, coupled with a personality clash, caused us to have ZERO chemistry onstage. Our chemistry resembled a dead horse on the side of a road. And that was very challenging for the both of us because our characters were meant to be passionate life-partners, who deeply cared for each other.
Therefore, we spent ten weeks (including rehearsal time) merely tolerating one another.
A stage kiss can be strange because you’re not really involved with one another on an intimate level, yet you must leave yourself open to create intimacy and passion.
Personally, I like to kiss. So, I had no reservations about doing it onstage in front of an audience, whether it was with a man or a woman. However, the person you're kissing also needs to contribute something to the kiss.
I remember the night we practiced the kissing scene in order to get a sense of timing and just how passionate it should be.
You haven’t lived until you’ve had a director stand about two feet from you, just staring, as you make out with someone over and over again; saying to you, “Could you just take a little pause here, and maybe go a little faster there?”
Me: (ok, CUT!…sorry, but I need a five minute break and a breath mint. I'm dying here.)
Kiss #2
The other kiss was to a woman who I had prayed would NEVER have to work with.
And to be totally honest with you, her feelings about me were mutual.
From the first time we met one another, years before this experience, you could just sense an aura between the two of us that said…“You know, I really can’t stand you. And I hope we never get cast in a show together, other than a play about two people who kill each other with chainsaws.”
I find it so incredibly ironic how when you desperately try to avoid someone that you don't like, KARMA will always see to it that you have to KISS them onstage - just for the hell of it.
The play was called, "The Sisters Rosensweig" I had the role of New York "faux furrier" Merv Kant, a character who I absolutely loved.
In the play, the female lead and I portrayed two characters who meet by accident because someone gave me the wrong address. I ended up at her house, when I should have been somewhere else.
Quickly, my character falls head over heels for her and spends the next three acts trying to convince her that I’m the man she needs to spend the rest of her life with.
(yea…and I had to dig DEEP for that emotion, trust me)
After a dinner party at her house, all the guests go home leaving she and I alone; cleaning up cocktail glasses.
And after a long conversation, I decide to walk over to where she’s seated and kiss her. After the kiss, she and I walk hand in hand up the stairs to her bedroom, as the stage lights slowly fade to black.
Which concludes Act 1.
Now, I clearly remember the night during rehearsals when we had to practice our kiss for the first time.
You could feel the tension, as we were both thinking...
A. "Can I do this with someone I can't stand ?"
And B. "Can I make it look REAL?"
It was awkward, but we proceeded.
The director wanted the kiss to start off soft and gentle, and then gradually build into a “let me see if I can touch your tonsils with my tongue kiss.”
And the funny part about this, is that the actress who I was working with was married at the time and told me one night that her husband refused to come see her in the show because he couldn't bear to see her kissed by another man.
And I’m thinking,“Trust me buddy, you have NOTHING to worry about because after I kiss her each performance…she‘s all yours after the curtain goes down.”
Well, we both ended up making the kiss look real because we were professionals. And in this case our offstage dislike for each other worked for the characters in the play because there was supposed to be a tension between us. Besides, I loved the character that I played, so I enjoyed getting onstage every night, regardless of how I felt about the actress.
But I'll tell you, after our five-week run of the play, the two of us were happy to say, "Kiss off, baby!"
In conclusion:
Someone once curiously asked me, “What was the difference between kissing the man and kissing the woman?”
My answer?
“No difference…
…they both gave me HORRENDOUS nightmares.”
Have a faaaaabulous week, everyone!
X and Kisses
X and Kisses
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