Stage Kiss at Hampstead Theatre

Last Updated on July 2, 2026

An eccentric romcom about theatre itself

3.0 out of 5.0 stars

From Casablanca to Titanic, kisses are the crown jewels of the most memorable sequences in entertainment history. Yet, behind the scenes, in gloomy rehearsal rooms, intimacy between performers is often without electricity. Kissing strangers is an actor’s bread and butter, and Sarah Ruhl’s Stage Kiss runs with the weirdness of this job description. After the success of Letters from Max at Hampstead Downstairs in 2025, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Ruhl collaborates again with director Blanche McIntyre to deliver a multifaceted romantic comedy – blending farce and musical theatre – about the tangling of real and make-believe intimacy.

We meet the characters in New Haven. An unnamed middle-aged woman (MyAnna Buring – Slow Horses) bursts into an audition for the lead role in a 1930s musical stage romance. She’s chaotic and lovable, scrambling through her lines with help from an eccentric, owl-voiced director (Rolf Saxon – Pericles). Despite, or perhaps because of, her chaos, she lands the part, and the scene is set for a screwball comedy of errors.

But intrigue strikes on the first day of rehearsals when our lead arrives to find that her old flame has been cast as her romantic co-lead. He (Patrick Kennedy – Blue Moon) is awkward and matter-of-fact, unsure what to make of the sticky situation. Kissing is obligatory from the first rehearsal, and, over the course of the fictional production, gritting their teeth through clunky embraces, the pair work their way back into each other’s hearts.

Stage Kiss builds momentum from here, exploring the outrage of the lovers’ families and the uneasy joy of rekindling with a lost sweetheart. There is no shortage of comedic twists – Ruhl’s writing is unafraid to reach for outrageous plot points in service of hearty laughs.

MyAnna Buring is captivating as a haphazard actor caught in the spotlight. Her character is two parts frazzled to one part serious and sensitive. She elevates Stage Kiss with clever timing and cutting remarks, intelligently fusing the screwball with the profound.

Patrick Kennedy is equally sharp as her opposite romantic lead. His stifled emotionality is a great source for comedy, and his knack for looking cool (smoking in the corner, swinging his bag over his shoulder) plays well against the ridiculousness of his love rival. Buring and Kennedy achieve instant charisma; their deep romantic history is palpable from the first beat.

The wider cast are also impressive. Rolf Saxon, as the fictional play’s director, is a charming parody of a soft-hearted dramaturg. And the multi-roling of Toto Bruin (Twelfth Night), Oliver Dimsdale (Grantchester), James Phoon (Bridgerton) and Jill Winternitz (Once) enlivens the drama.

There is a lot to like about Stage Kiss. The staging is dynamic, the writing is snappy, and the stiff world of a 1930s musical is an evocative prism through which to shine the central love narrative. The play is at its best during the rehearsal room scenes, when the romance of the fictional musical and the characters’ real feelings bleed freely together.

This ‘in the moment’ tension was the fuel of Stage Kiss, so when, for much of the second half, we’re confined to a gloomy studio apartment in which the pair flesh out their relationship, it’s hard not to feel that the show’s original zip is diluted. At over two hours in length, the final movement began to cannibalise the energy of the first hour.

The ‘play within a play’ is an irresistible concept, and Stage Kiss walks alongside the best (Shakespeare, Stoppard, Chekhov) in its deployment of this form. It is easy to get behind its characters – they’re brilliantly written and full of heart. But the sheer size of the play tests the audience’s endurance. Still, Stage Kiss is genuinely exciting theatre that is packed full of joy.

Stage Kiss runs at the Hampstead Theatre from 8th May to 13th June.

Hampstead Theatre
Eton Ave
London
NW3 3EU

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