K-I-S-S-I-N-G THE HUNTINGTON THEATER | written by Lenelle Moïse, directed by Dawn M Simmons, scenic designer: Jason Ardizzone-West, costume designer: Dominique Fawn Hill, lighting designer: Jorge Arroyo, sound designer: Anna Drummond, projection designers: Yee Eun Nam & Hannah Tran, production stage manager: Lauren J. Burke, stage managers: Kevin Schlagle & Kendyl Trott, actors: Patrese D. McClain, James Milord, Bobby Cius, Regan Sims, Sharmarke Yusuf, Ivan Cecil Walks, Thomika Bridwell, Adrian Peguero, Sandra Seoane-Seri, Rodney Witherspoon II, director of production: Bethany Ford, associate director of production: Miguel Flores, technical director: Adam Godbout, associate technical director: Mike Hamer, props director: Kristine Holmes, charge scenic artist: Kristin Krause, associate set designers: Baron Pugh & Sean Sanford, assistant set designers: Laura Valenti, Gaya Chatterjee, Kenny Duecker.

PRESS

BOSTON GLOBE REVIEW
”There’s a consistent vitality to the dialogue, and the production — a collaboration between Front Porch Arts Collective and The Huntington — is visually sumptuous as well, saturated in large, painterly images of faces, falling leaves, and stars (the scenic design is by Jason Ardizzone-West, and the projection design is by Yee Eun Nam and Hannah Tran).”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/16/arts/k-i-s-s-i-n-g-teen-absorbed-world-possibilities/

WBUR REVIEW
”The work comes together like a kaleidoscopic tapestry, with Simmons weaving Moïse's humorous, poetic script and Jason Ardizzone-West's scenic design, Anna Drummond's expertly aligned sound, Jorge Arroyo's lighting expertise and Yee Eun Nam and Hanna Tran's gorgeous projection design into a fully realized work of art on every level.”
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/03/17/kissing-huntington-review

STAGE & CINEMA REVIEW
“Jason Ardizzone-West’s scenic design and Jorge Arroyo’s lighting plot simply stun. A combination of a complex stage set with turntable, the delicate, lovely lighting. and Hannah Tran & Yee Eun Nam’s projections move us seamlessly from numerous settings, including a huge tree, a starry night, and an art museum, and effectively portray not just the physical location of the characters but their emotional states and aspirations. Dominique Fawn Hill’s costumes are not only appropriate but actually look lived in, and Anna Drummond’s sound design ensures we hear every word. But the many pleasures of this must-see production come courtesy of director Dawn Simmons, a Co-Producing Artistic Director of the Front Porch Arts Collective (aka The Porch), a Black theatre company under the leadership of Simmons and Maurice Emmanuel Parent. The Porch has been enriching the Boston theater scene for the past seven years, building on the values of cultural inclusion and community advancement. K-I-S-S-I-N-G is not just a fitting production in their 2022/2023 season, with its focus on Black Joy and Love, but a triumph itself.”
https://stageandcinema.com/2023/03/17/kissing-huntington-theatre-company/

THEATER MIRROR REVIEW
“A tree growing in Boston has blossomed and borne the loveliest, sweetest fruit. Welcome to the world, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

“Director Dawn M. Simmons guides the way the narrative unfolds and the actors unpeel their multi-layered characters with a clear vision and elegant hand. The play’s overall pacing, and the timing in the dramatic and comedic scenes – in each beat – do justice to playwright (and poet) Lenelle Moïse’s rhythmic and lyrical writing style. Superlative scenic, costume, lighting, sound, and projection design by Jason Ardizzone-West, Dominique Fawn Hill, Jorge Arroyo, and Anna Drummond contribute to the seamless storytelling, and make this breathtakingly beautiful production an engaging and fully immersive treat for the senses.”
https://www.theatermirror.net/?p=6379

JOYCE’S CHOICES REVIEW
”OK. I just saw the most exhilarating show of the season– and YOU MUST SEE IT too!  Presented by The Huntington in association with Front Porch Arts Collective: K-I-S-S-I-N-G is as sweet and lovely as that little jingle suggests- audience and actors “sittin’ in a tree” in love with life and possibility!  Supported by our common roots and deep connections across all boundaries, the show is like springtime in its passionate embrace of all that is joyful and life-affirming. This fresh world-premiere exuberantly penned by local playwright and poet Lenelle Moise is a thing of beauty, brilliantly channeling the optimism beneath the chaos in the zeitgeist with the promise of a new way forward.”

“It all plays out on a simple, evocative set (Jason Ardizzone-West/scenic design) suggesting a tree, the leaves of a book, a museum, and more. Much of the action is set downstage and often right out to the audience locking in our attention. Gorgeous projections (Yee Eun Nam and Hannah Tran) plant this coming-of-age love story in an earthy and mythic garden– imagine Gustav Klimt on a tropical island. The vibe is sensuous and elegant, bringing us all back to an archetypal Eden as these teens awaken to the promise of love and life.”

“And that is the palpable atmosphere in which the play dwells– in the fullness and fluidity of life as the world opens up. I can’t think of a better play for right now as we begin to understand that life is a continuum and there are no hard and fast lines except the ones we make. The play juggles every stereotype and pre-conceived notion about who we are or should be, tosses them  into the air, in an act of faith and creativity, and lets them rain back down in celebration like confetti. I was ecstatic as I left.  K-I-S-S-I-N-G creates a space in which to be vulnerable, joyful, to breathe freely in this natural world and imagines what can happen– with a little grace and compassion. AN ABSOLUTE MUST SEE!”
https://joyceschoices.com/theater-k-s-s-n-g/