100 First Kisses

Review by Charlotte Craig

55 min | Comedy | General

100 First Kisses is a story about a girl who has to write an essay about a “first”, but she’s out of ideas. Her long-time friend tries to help inspire her. It is a surprisingly adorable play, and a good satirical look on the stresses of “teenagedom”. I went into it thinking it would be cheesy – which it is, and makes no claims to not be. But it’s the best kind of cheesy: warm, gooey, comforting. The play is well-written and even better acted (even in reverse). The three stars shine, never missing a beat, perfectly coordinated and clearly well rehearsed.

From the intro it was clear this show was going to be a good one, and the entire play was punctuated by hearty laughter and enthusiastic cheering from the crowd. Easily the best show I’ve seen at Fringe 2012 so far, the cast made full use of their stage (and gallery), props and costumes without using them as a crutch. The dialogue and banter were smooth, funny and natural, and the transitions between scenes were quick and flawless.

I was afraid that a play written by a man about a girl would be stereotypical, but Mark MacDonald did an excellent job writing a strong, funny and realistic female lead (played by two actors). Her male co-star was equally well-written, and the chemistry between the three made the whole show amusing to watch.

Running under schedule at about 40 minutes, 100 First Kisses warmed even my frigid heart. It had me missing my childhood best friend, who may or may not have been my first love – it did not, however, have me missing my sloppy first kiss. If only we could all erase and re-write the cringe-worthy parts of our lives … Go see 100 First Kisses if you like to laugh and reminisce.

100 First Kisses by Mark MacDonald is playing at Studio Léonard-Beaulne (135 Séraphin-Marion Private) on Saturday, June 16 and Sunday June 17 at 7:30pm; Monday, June 18 at 5:30pm; Wednesday, June 20 at 7:00pm; and Saturday, June 23 at 6:30pm. Tickets are $10.