Jenny Jamora, Missy Maramara to star in upcoming lesbian play “Stop Kiss”
“I mean, it’s been 16 years, but we’re still fighting a lot of the same fights,” remarked actress Jenny Jamora, one of the leads of the upcoming rerun of the 1998 play “Stop Kiss”.
Her statement essentially echoed a report earlier this month about a lesbian couple attacked and harassed in a London bus after refusing to kiss for a group of young men.
First staged in Manila back in 2003, the Diana Son play “Stop Kiss” revolves around two women, Callie and Sara, who get brutally assaulted after sharing their first kiss. The incident pushes Sara into a coma, upon which the play’s nonlinear narrative unfolds.
During the 2003 Manila run (directed by director Monique Wilson), Sara and Callie were portrayed by Missy Maramara and Jenny Jamora, respectively—whose roles gets swapped for the upcoming production.
Joining Maramara and Jamora are Tarek el Tayech as George, Gabe Mercado as Peter, Robbie Guevara as Detective Cole, Jay Valencia-Glorioso as Mrs. Winsley, and J-mee Katanyag as Nurse.
“Recently with the news, with the couple in London,” says director and set designer Ed Lacson Jr. at the press event, “it reaffirms why this project needs to be told now.”
The current production has partnered with two non-profit organizations, Spark! Philippines and GALANG Philippines, which advocate for gender equality and against gender-based violence, especially among women and within the LBT (lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) community.
“Stop Kiss” will be having a limited engagement of eight shows only, from July 12 to 14 and from July 19 to 21 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight, Circuit Makati.
