Stop Kiss Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...To love is to declare oneself, and "Stop Kiss" should speak to anyone who has had to search deep within to find the strength and conviction to join hands with another. I can't remember when a love story has moved me more."
LA Weekly- Recommended
"...While the play profits little from being staged in the Playhouse's relatively cavernous space - this show is more effectively mounted in an intimate setting, like Rogue Machine's version in 2009 - Sueko has created an affecting production, largely due to Angela Lin's standout performance as Callie."
Stage Scene LA- Recommended
"...Don't let the gay bashing that is the pivotal event of Diana Son's Stop Kiss scare you away from its exciting Pasadena Playhouse debut. Under Seema Sueko's nuanced direction and with a pair of star turns by Angela Lin and Sharon Leal, Son's 1998 off-Broadway hit reveals itself at its heart to be the subtly shaded tale of two women who find themselves almost accidentally falling in love."
Examiner- Recommended
"...Son's play is funny and serious, warm and fuzzy and tender and brutal. Sueko beautifully masters the art of weaving all parts together as the story of two young women's journey of self-discovery, acknowledgement and finally love, converge."
Neon Tommy- Recommended
"...Getting right down to what true theater is about, director Seema Sueko leads these two actresses into a world of truth."
LifeInLA- Recommended
"...Going past praise for showcasing diversity, is praise reserved for Stop Kiss' heartbreaking story of two women's lives strained by a hateful act of violence. It is a memorable story that reminds us of how life was-and more likely, still is-for people that fall outside the traditional realms of human relationships. After all, society, while having greatly progressed, is still fraught with a considerable lack of compassion for things that fall beyond its often-limited definitions of humanity."
Creepy LA- Recommended
"...Stop Kiss also marks the directorial debut at the Playhouse of Seema Sueko, who joined the theatre in January as its Associate Artistic Director, after nine years as founding Executive Artistic Director of San Diego's Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company. In this first Pasadena outing, she displays an agile mind and nimble hand at maneuvering the talented cast of actors and designers, delivering a breezy, often funny yet ultimately sobering and enriching performance."