Review: Girl Kisser, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

From the very first moments, you can see the thought and effort that have gone into the movement direction of Girl Kisser. The six-piece ensemble gracefully works around one another, their interconnectivity evident, yet each performer still retains their individuality. The hour that follows proves this opening was no fluke with a fluidity that is a credit to co-director Rose Barwick’s skills. 

The show follows six early-20s, a mixture of female and non-binary housemates and friends, as they navigate young queer love. Six divided by two obviously leaves us with three separate pairings, with each representing a different type of relationship; the pair who have been lifelong friends but perhaps have waited too long to get together; the unreturned love of someone who could be accused of stringing the lovee along, and finally the one that might just make it. It’s always refreshing to see theatre that doesn’t sugarcoat real life, not every story can end happily ever after. 

Emily Alice Ambrose’s writing is fresh and exciting. She weaves all six of her characters together but then allows each their own moment to tell their individual story, giving them a chance to step to the fore and tell the audience their experiences in their own words. We hear their young perspective on being queer, their concerns, but also their joys. In fact, joy is a common theme throughout, the joy of acceptance, of friendship, of being allowed to be just who you want to be. It’s a powerfully delivered message and one that bears repeating in a world where being different right now seems to offend so many people. 

Whilst all six performers shine individually, there does need to be better attention to how they project their words when working as a group. Way too often, it becomes a strain to hear; voices are occasionally muffled or even lost completely. But this is easily corrected, and you suspect even before the show’s short Camden Fringe run ends, this may have improved. 

The co-directing of Hollie Milne and Barwick really deserves further praise for managing a six-strong cast in a small space. Even when the whole ensemble is on stage, it never feels cluttered, the stage nicely divided to ensure focus is on the right place at the right time. There’s good use of blocking to divide the stage into portions to allow separate stories to play out next to each other, something that really comes to life as we get to witness the heartbreaking decision made by Julianna (Charlotte Clements), whilst behind her, best friend Finlay (Laoi Curtin) is telling us of their undying love for her. The movement on and off the stage is just as well handled, allowing scenes to bleed into each other without the need for any long pauses.

The thread holding the three stories together, that of a house share and a club night that Finlay runs, is a perfect vehicle to drive the individual stories, plus it adds to the youthful feeling. It also means a few musical interludes, with a singer picking up the guitar, don’t feel out of place, and in fact help contribute to their separate stories. Ambrose’s turns on the guitar really are more than just filler. 

Girl Kisser is a lovely piece of theatre that should be relatable to a young queer audience. Even as someone very much not part of that demographic, it’s still a show to be admired and loved for the gentle way it approaches and treats its subject.

Performers: Emily Alice Ambrose, Charlotte Clements, Gabriella Gilliat, Lucie Law, Laoi Curtin, Zofia Zerphy 

Written by: Emily Alice Ambrose
Directed by: Rose Barwick & Hollie Milne
Produced by: Izzy Macpherson
Technician: Leo Tsokolaeva

Read more about Girl Kisser in our recent interview here.

Girl Kisser plays at The Lion & Unicorn until Saturday 9 August