There’s a moment in “Prelude to a Kiss” where the protagonist Peter, played by Trevor Alexandre, begins to realize that something is not quite right with his wife on their honeymoon. It’s a moment shown only through facial expressions from Alexandre, yet its significance is deep and provocative within the main theme surrounding this production. This theme centers around the idea that people who love each other never leave each other and that the bond between two lovers is unbreakable no matter the circumstances that may keep them apart. This play, directed by Eileen Kennedy, brings success to moments like these through powerful direction and great performances across the board.
This play is unique in its ability to blend realism with the magic that holds a central role in the story. It’s easy to relate to these characters, and although the dialogue sometimes felt awkward, the actors portray that awkwardness well enough so that it didn’t feel forced. It’s obvious that Kennedy put a lot of effort into bringing this story alive and making it relatable to its audience, so the ability of the cast to portray these characters in such a realistic way helps achieve this.
“Prelude to a Kiss” was developed by Craig Lucas in 1988 and moved to Broadway in 1990, where Alec Baldwin and Mary-Louise Parker played the leading roles. It received a Best Play Tony Award nod and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Kennedy originally worked on some replacement casting for this production, so her experience with this story resonates even now that she’s in charge of the entire play.
The play opens with a beautiful rendition of the song “Prelude to a Kiss,” a 1938 song composed by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills that this play was named after, performed by Moorpark College student Bethany Spielman. The stage then lights up to reveal a Tin Market set that was modeled to provide some great piano and vocal performances in certain scenes of the play. It also provides the place where our two main characters, Peter and Rita, first meet.
The two characters immediately develop a sense of chemistry through their awkward conversations and various quirks that make them unique. Rita hasn’t slept since she was 14-years-old and that doesn’t even affect Peter’s opinion towards her. He is immediately entranced by her.
The scenes leading up to Peter and Rita’s wedding are definitely the weakest in the play. There were just far too many awkward lines of dialogue that only provided slight chuckles at their absurdity. Some lines even seemed too raunchy, including explicit discussions about sex and the female anatomy, which would have worked if these moments were at all funny. Or perhaps if we just had more time to get to know these characters.
It quickly picks up its pace once the wedding scene is performed, which is when Rita suddenly switches bodies with a strange old man. This provides the main conflict in the story, and watching the lovable Rita change so dramatically after this scene is wonderful to behold.
Brenna Williams played Rita in the performance that I watched, which was the second night that the play premiered. The equally talented and lovely Angelica Smith performs as Rita every other night. Williams shined as Rita in this performance, perfectly capturing her awkward personality and providing a deep contrast for when Rita magically switches bodies with an old man. It can’t be easy to portray two different personalities within one character, but Williams does a fine job.
Alexandre also delivered a fantastic performance in this play. His awkward yet charming demeanor provided a great counterpart to William’s equally awkward yet enthusiastic Rita. Alexandre also had to perform some difficult scenes that involved him dressing up while simultaneously delivering a personal monologue to the audience. It was obvious these scenes were not easy to pull off, so it was impressive to watch them performed so perfectly.
Another actor in this that deserves some praise is Dana Rheaume, who played the Old Man. Rheaume’s performance was surprisingly exuberant, and his portrayal of a woman trapped inside of an old man’s body was both entertaining and emotional, describing the hardships that one must go through once they reach a certain age.
There is one word that has been thrown around a few times in this review: awkward. This play is exactly that, so it’s best to enter the performance with the knowledge that a lot of the dialogue in this play is very strange, but also very unique. It’s an odd, yet entertaining night full of love and magic that people should experience. The message within this play is deep and thoughtful, and also executed perfectly. It teaches its audience the many stages of life, death, happiness and beauty, and how these outcomes are often inevitable for all of us. We all live our lives believing that our loved ones will always be by our side, but one day they can disappear and we might not even realize that they left us. It’s thought-provoking themes like these that make “Prelude to a Kiss” stand out as more than just a comedy. Kennedy and her great cast should be commended for their efforts.
“Prelude to a Kiss” will be performed on Oct. 24 through 27. The performances start at 8 p.m. on Oct. 24-26 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 27th. Tickets are $8 for students.
