Live from New York
Oh my Goth! Young Houston actors perform on the New York stage and remainKissless
The Kissless crew
The marquee at the Theater at St. Clement's in NYC includes the production ofKissless as part of the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival.Photo by Jayme Lamm
NEW YORK — There’s an innate quality in most of us that tends to root for the underdog or the hometown team — both of which accurately represent the cast of Kissless during their world premiere this past week at the historically quaint Theatre at St. Clements.
Not underdogs in a subpar kind of way, but in a we’re-bringing-Texas-honky-tonk-to-the-Big-Apple kind of way, where a homegrown cast of 27 fairly fresh faces hit the bright lit stages of the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival.
The festival, now in its eighth season, is almost entirely comprised of New York-based actors and actresses, but thanks to Houston playwright Chance McClain (and many others), the city is flooded with cowboy boots, bedazzled extra-large belt buckles, chewing tobacco and a big ole country drawl.
Seeing these Houston teens living their dreams on a New York City stage definitely breeds a sense of hometown pride you can’t help but cheer for. Loudly. And this comes from someone with no affiliation or prejudice to Kissless in any capacity.
“Seeing Kissless on a New York stage with a New York audience is like watching your kid make his big-league debut. We knew it was good, but there’s a sense of validation now that says, ‘Yes, New York is where this show belongs,’” said Tony Moles, who headed up the production’s art design.
Many of you were lucky enough to catch readings and performances in Houston, but seeing the hard work come alive on an off Broadway stage added a whole new element.
“Seeing Kissless on a New York stage with a New York audience is like watching your kid make his big-league debut. We knew it was good, but there’s a sense of validation now that says, ‘Yes, New York is where this show belongs,’” said Tony Moles, who headed up the production’s art design.
The premise of the musical is based on an “inconvenient love” developed over a summer between two high school students from painfully and stereotypically different cliques.
Sadly, the love story doesn’t fall into regular societal norms we once knew in high school and football captain Derek West (played by Tyler Galindo) and goth-wannabe Summer Stokely (Teresa Zimmerman) never get the chance to experience the thrill of their first kiss. The lesson is one you’ve probably heard your whole life and you probably need to be reminded of —seize the day, as tomorrow may never come.
A few early reviews of the show hit negatively on the play being overtly predictable, but here’s the thing — it is. And it should be. It’s high school – the land of where 99% of what happens is predictable and simple. It allowed the audience to focus more on the beautifully sung lyrics and the heart and soul from a cast with something to prove, rather than an intense confusing and thickening plot. I think the critics forgot the simplicity of high school compared to what life becomes as we get older – perhaps it’s been too long for them to remember.
So I leave you with three things:
1. Always root for the underdogs, because 9 times out of 10, they work harder to get there.
2. Someone please notify Microsoft that Kissless should NOW be added to that spell-check arsenal of theirs. I think the cast and crew worked hard enough to forego those red squiggly spell-check lines every time I type it.
3. The next time you want to kiss someone – DO IT! (unless of course they’re married because I don't condone that)
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The Houston cast of Kissless continue their New York run tonight, Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. For information, click here.
