Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"..."Stop Kiss" is a conventionally structured play, with one foot firmly in that Ellen sitcom world. But the benefit for audiences there is that the show is funny and taut and generally a pleasure to watch. In this production, it's both a look back at what was, not so long ago, and a reminder of how small plays in the American theater often have been at the vanguard of change."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Kanomé Jones's Arc Theatre and Pride Film and Plays coproduction features some questionable coding in the casting of ancillary characters and doesn't quite overcome the less convincing edges of Son's text—namely an overly quippy, hard-boiled detective straight out of Law & Order: SVU—but Anderson and Pallozzi are deeply affecting as lovers coming to terms with their identities and their desire for true love, consequences be damned."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Diana Son probably didn't suspect in 1998 that her play, set in up-to-the minute contemporary surroundings, would find itself, decades hence, rediscovered by new generations taking heart from its lessons in courage and constancy. Indeed, far from being irrelevant in light of the progress enjoyed today, fables of enduring love have not diminished with age, but may be more important than ever."
Theatre By Numbers - Recommended
"...This production is a delicate balancing act. The quiet nature of its love story does not announce political ambition or timelessness, perhaps. But it does speak to how hard it can be to share your whole self with another person, to change fundamentally in order to be your best self. And that's something worth witnessing onstage."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...What remains non-negotiably moving are the tiny moments of truth and tenderness in Kanome Jones' sensitive staging, like a final scene where Callie lets herself dress her lover, a kindness that feels a lot like a cure. Defying the title, the kiss did not stop."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This often comic drama shouldn't be dismissed as "another lesbian play." It's a heartfelt story about being human, learning to let go and fall for someone who may just be your soulmate. This is a must-see production to kick off a new year at Pride Films and Plays."
Rescripted - Highly Recommended
"...Stop Kiss is a play about the dichotomy of being queer; its very structure is a contrast between discovering the joy and freedom of stepping away from societal norms, and the pain caused by an unjust society which punishes that discovery at every turn. Director Kanomé Jones has put together an ensemble that understands this dichotomy on a visceral level, with the result that this collaboration between Pride Films and Plays and Arc Theatre touched something deep within my little queer heart in a way that no show in recent memory has."
Chicago On Stage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Stop Kiss was very well received in its original New York run and has been successfully revived many times since by small theatres and colleges seeking (somewhat) edgy art, and I am certain that many people who see this one will find its central relationship endearing enough to make up for its shortcomings. As much as Jones and her leads work to make that happen, though, it just didn't add up for me. I'd watch these performers (especially the utterly captivating Anderson) in anything, but this play's second timeline, filled with dated and stereotypical characters, takes away from rather than adds to its power. I ended up wishing that Son had found another vehicle to allow Callie and Sara to build on what they begin here instead of imposing tragedy on their romance."
Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...STOP KISS is a story of two women trying to figure out who they are, and what this other person means to them. If you’re one whose looking for more modern works, you don’t have to put this show on the top of your must-see list, since it might feel dated. However, if you’re one who likes a play about relationships, and discovering who you are, this might be a great fit for you."
The Broadway Blog - Highly Recommended
"...First produced Off-Broadway in 1998 at New York City’s Public Theater, Stop Kiss delivers a 90-minute emotional wringer, set to a nostalgic, late 20th-century pop music soundtrack. The result is an unrelenting portrait of American love and violence that feels as relevant today as it did over 20 years ago."
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...Co-produced by The Arc Theatre and Pride Films and Plays, this production has found two terrific actors for the beautifully written leads - the couple at the center of the story. Callie, (played with exquisite precision by Flavia Pallozzi), and Sara, (an endearing and empathetic turn by Kylie Anderson) fall harder for each with every interaction and moment they share. This arc is fascinatingly paralleled by the aftermath of their attack which, after a night on the town, follows their early morning hours' first kiss."