For many people, showing affection for their significant other in public usually results in nothing more than just another moment in their daily lives and the lives of people around them. Unfortunately, not everyone has the privilege to experience that.

Even though we have come far as a society of accepting others and being more inclusive in mainstream media, women, especially queer women, still face backlash and criticism in the real world for being who they are.

Last weekend, Stage 2, UMD’s student-run theater company, presented their last show of the season: Stop Kiss, which tackles what it’s like to be in an openly queer relationship.

Stop Kiss is a play by Diana Son that originally premiered off-Broadway in 1998. It is a play that shines light on queer perseverance. Just months prior to premiering, the LGBTQ+ community was still grieving the murder of Matthew Sheppard, as well as the lasting effects of the AIDS crisis.

The show is about two women, Callie and Sara, who live in New York City in the late 1990s. The two women become close and soon develop romantic feelings for each other. One night as they share a kiss in the park they are severely attacked by a man, leaving Sara in a coma.

Callie's Apartment in New York City. Photo By. Ben Carpenter

The timeline of the play switches between flashbacks of the development of their relationship to present day as Sara is recovering in the hospital. The play also deals with Callie’s sexually casual relationship with her friend, George, along with her own struggles of standing up for herself.

One aspect of the play that I enjoyed was the characters talking over each other. This seemed to reflect more natural conversations that happen in real-life. In theater I don’t often see that, as characters typically talk one at a time.

I really liked the props in this play. They gave the aesthetics of a 1990s NYC apartment, with details like a landline phone, the futon and kitchen appliances, a retro TV remote, along with small trinkets like a rubik's cube and magic 8 ball.

Even though the play had a serious tone to it, there were also moments of humor sprinkled in with dialogue and line delivery, such as George doing a fake-out high five when he crossed paths with Sara.

I found Callie and George’s relationship to be interesting and complex. The two seem to have a long history and are comfortable with how they define themselves. However, Callie also is exploring new feelings and is close with Sara. I like to think her character is supposed to be bisexual or pansexual representation.

I’m always impressed by the versatility of the actors' range of characters. For example, student Lynnlee Johnson played a kind and understanding nurse, as well as Mrs. Winsley, a full-of-herself, impatient woman.

Ben Carpenter is the writer behind Ben There, Done That — a column dedicated to reviewing fine art shows at UMD and around Duluth.

Overall, I enjoyed this play. Typically, I don’t like stories that jump back and forth between past and present events, but this play executes it well. It doesn’t necessarily have a happy or sad ending, but it comes back to a full circle moment and we get to see Callie and Sara finally embrace each other. It also is implied that Sara recovered from her attack, so I was glad no one died.

I think this was a great production to end the season, especially with the current political climate that our country is in. It’s an important message that no matter how hard people try to attack or erase LGBTQ+ people, they will always persevere and be a part of our society. I think this play should be adapted to a motion picture.

Since I will be graduating in four weeks, this is my last Stage 2 production I’ll be seeing, as a student, and therefore my last “Ben There, Done That” for Stage 2. I have enjoyed Stage 2 productions over the years and will try to continue seeing future productions as these students are amazingly talented. Keep on the lookout over the next few weeks for my final reviews of more events.

Stop Kiss: Ben There, Done That