That Perfect Kiss
Lyrics by Lee Ehmke | Music by Holly Barber | Logo by Holly Barber
Prince Charming and Cinderella attend the same ball looking for a love connection.
When they finally find it, it’s not at all what they expected. The Prince’s Advisor and twin sister join in on the fun.
Will everyone find their happily ever after?
““Peppy and tongue-in-cheek...a beautiful balance of the innocence of Cinderella with a fun subtle twist””
Logo design by Kai Kiefer.
”That Perfect Kiss” was featured in the Q Collective’s Coming Out Play Festival 2019, in St. Louis, MO!
““Catchy AF.””
““Pretty f***ing adorable.””
The writers, Holly Barber and Lee Ehmke, 10.20.19
PC: Channing Silver
The original cast with the writers, 10.20.19!
L-R: Rachel Bailey (Sister/Princess), Cameron Pille (Cinderella), Lee Ehmke, Holly Barber, Kelvin Urday (Prince), and Matthew Kauzlarich (Advisor)
Directed by Sean Michael (not pictured) and music directed by Holly Barber
PC: Emily Ellet
The PRISM New Works Festival cast with composer Holly Barber, 4.27.24!
L-R: Sarah Lueken (Cinderella), Rachel Bailey (Sister/Princess), Zachary Thompson (Prince), Matthew Kauzlarich (Advisor), and Holly Barber.
Directed by Caleb Long (not pictured) and accompanied by Holly Barber.
PC: Caleb Long
22 Likes, 0 Comments - The Q Collective (@the.q.collective.stl) on Instagram: "We had so much fun tonight at our first tech rehearsal! These actors are so amazing and these short..."
^L-R: Substitute guitarist Buddy Shumaker, Holly Barber, Matthew Kauzlarich (Advisor)
Original post here on the Q Collective’s Instagram!
15 Likes, 2 Comments - The Q Collective (@the.q.collective.stl) on Instagram: "Introducing the faces of the Coming Out Play Festival! Next up is That Perfect Kiss: A Short with..."
^Original post here on the Q Collective’s Instagram!
““I really loved it! It gave me such a happy feeling in my heart.””
Show History
“That Perfect Kiss” premiered at the Q Collective’s 2019 Coming Out Play Festival; its joyful spirit and catchy music made it a crowd favorite . It had its second production with PRISM Theatre Company’s Spotlight On…Being You New Works Festival in April of 2024.
This show marks the first time that Holly and Lee have collaborated on writing a play, but the two of them have co-directed many musicals together at Principia School, and have often talked about wanting to write musicals together. So when the Q Collective posted the call for submissions of new short plays to be considered for the 2019 Coming Out Play Festival, they decided it was finally time to take the leap! 135 plays (and one operetta :-D) were submitted from 106 playwrights, representing 68 cities, 24 states/provinces/regions, and 3 countries. Out of the 136, nine were chosen to be produced in the 2019 Coming Out Play Festival, and on September 1, 2019, Lee and Holly were thrilled to find out that their “short folk pop operetta” (later dubbed a “poperetta” by Q Collective Artistic Director Sean Michael) was one of them!
Auditions for the festival took place in mid-September, the cast was announced on September 30, and the read-through took place on October 11 (National Coming Out Day). Holly and Lee got to attend and were blown away by the variety and excellence of the plays and by the exceptional skill that the actors brought to their roles. Rehearsals began on October 12 and ran through October 16. The festival opened on October 17, 2019 at the Monocle and ran through Sunday, October 20, 2019 (program here).
^Original post here on the Q Collective’s Instagram!
Holly and Lee after having submitted the play to the Coming Out Play Festival!
22 Likes, 1 Comments - The Q Collective (@the.q.collective.stl) on Instagram: "THANK YOU so much to everyone who submitted for this year's Coming Out Play Festival! With 135..."
^Original post here on the Q Collective’s Instagram!
Click below to watch the premiere production of “That Perfect Kiss,” featuring Kelvin Urday as The Prince, Matthew Kauzlarich as The Advisor, Cameron Pille as Cinderella, and Rachel Bailey as The Sister/The Princess. Direction and video by Sean Michael; music direction and guitar by Holly Barber; lyrics by Lee Ehmke; music by Holly Barber. The performance below took place on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at the Monocle in St. Louis, MO, as the closing act of The Q Collective’s 2019 Coming Out Play Festival.