Robert Castle (Tommy Boston), right, meets the pregnant Holly Fitch (Julie Jarrett) for the first time while waiting for the bus.
Despite touching on sad subjects, Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun stayed light and humorous. It reminded me of how amazing and how important the bonds we form with other people can be.
Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun is a two act comedy written by local resident Norm Foster, who attended West Hill Collegiate Institute.
The play’s appeal was its simplicity and the intimate setting, which the Scarborough Theatre Guild provided.
The small stage was surrounded on three sides by the audience and divided into four permanent sets. The cast of only five easily got the audience involved in their stories as the characters developed.
A 35-year-old man with the mental capacity of an eight-year-old, Robert Castle is a charming and endearing character. Played by newcomer to the theatre Tommy Boston, who had the audience laughing the whole show with his antics and unfiltered honesty.
Robert misses his bus one morning and meets a girl named Holly Fitch crying at the bus stop. She has just told her boyfriend Simon she is pregnant. He is her former professor and still going through divorce proceedings, so he sees the pregnancy as an unwanted complication.
Robert innocently tells Holly that there is no need to cry because another bus will come by in 10 minutes — and the unlikely friendship starts.
The title of the play was inspired by the touching relationship between Claire Castle and her son Robert. Before leaving the house, Robert always kisses his mother on the cheek and says, “Kiss the moon.” This represents his mother watching over him because he will always be a child and need protecting.
Claire responds by kissing Robert on the forehead and saying, “Kiss the sun.” This signifies the light and joy that Robert brings to her life every day. What follows is a complex web of interconnected obstacles that the characters must overcome.
On the surface, Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun is about a mentally handicapped man named Robert Castle. But on a deeper level it is also about relationships born out of hard times and the connections we make with other people.
Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun was a pleasure to watch, so look out for the next Scarborough Theatre Guild production, My Darling Judith, coming in May.
For more information or to purchase tickets for a show, visit theatrescarborough.com/GUILD_home.html.