The Kiss – Bewley’s Cafe Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

The Kiss – Written by Jimmy Murphy
November 10th – 29th, 2025

In April 2015, The Kiss made its debut in the now much lamented Theatre Upstairs. Shortly afterwards, on 22nd May 2015, Ireland voted to amend its constitution by referendum to recognise the right of single sex couples to marry. It would be reassuring to think that hate crimes against single sex couples would, as a result, now be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, changing long-held, irrational mindsets takes a great deal of time to alter. While legislation can assist, many societal norms have to be challenged. Violent physical attacks still take place against individuals because of their sexuality. The issues which The Kiss raises are sadly still relevant.

Eddie (Luke Griffin) is a single man who is almost fifty. He is the sole customer of a Dublin pub, driven in by the rain, as he awaits the verdict of a jury. He arrives on stage wearing a raincoat, which he hangs up. He reminisces about how he came to meet Val and about how they had lived in Val’s apartment as a couple. They had had their dreams and their hopes for the future. But it all had come to an end out of the blue in an act of violence. He is now back living with his parents and trying to make sense of it all, including the callous attitude of respectable Ireland as personified by Val’s parents.

Luke Griffin gives a heartfelt performance as Eddie. When he describes his first meeting with Val, you sense the passion of his voice. He recounts small, almost trivial, but also important details of their time together, but they are all memories now. They are the past.

The reality of the present is living back in his childhood home with his parents and trying to pick up the pieces, not that easy when you are almost fifty. It is a lonely prospect. Griffin, in recreating Eddie’s predicament, encapsulates many emotions, including love, loss, anger,  rage and loneliness as he tries to come to terms with it all. It is measured, considered and thoughtful. It has a tragic beauty.

Luke Griffin and Jimmy Murphy bring you into a world where showing a fleeting act of love on a street may ignite an act of violence. Regrettably, such a phenomenon is not in the past. It can happen today and does. Out of a tragedy, Murphy has created a story of a love lost which Griffin achingly recalls. It is deeply moving. It is a fine piece of theatre.

CAST AND CREW​

WRITTEN BY: Jimmy Murphy

DIRECTED BY: Lee Coffey

PERFORMED BY: Luke Griffin

LIGHTING DESIGN: Eoin Byrne