Queer identity and healing witchcraft cast a combined spell on stage in Claire Carson’s Kissing in the Grocery Store

“We’ll cast a spell on you this February!” // Courtesy of Whim Productions.

Feeling hopeless? Still pining over an ex? Too scared to work through your problems? Manifestation will fix your struggles when you can’t! Or so you think. I, too, have found that it’s much easier to wish upon a star instead of doing the emotional labor of working through the breakup.

Sweet, sweet escapism. 

Playwright Claire Carson explores this struggle in Kissing in the Grocery Store: a multimedia theatre experience that addresses the difficulties faced when coming out, desperation-fueled magic, and the complexities of personal relationships.

The production follows Q, a 20-something lesbian who takes the audience through their internal struggles, as they find immense guilt in how their previous relationship ended, and mentally navigate their fear of coming out. 

Instead of doing the inner work to get over their ex, they find solace in a YouTube witch that guides them through a letting go spell, complete with a cauldron and an excessive amount of lavender.

As they chant “Lavender bring me peace and calm my soul,” they start to spiral into hopelessness as they fail to suppress worst-case-scenario thoughts, struggling to envision how they would come out to their parents–who are actively religious–without impacting their relationship. Intertwined with their irrational thoughts are flashbacks filled with regrets, as the fear of showing PDA with their ex-girlfriend ultimately ended their relationship.

As Quinn battles their inner demons, they find themself stuck and unable to find the confidence to come out. // Photo by Janetta Leigh.

Throughout the play, their loved ones switch between the loving and kind versions of themselves and their mean alter–egos that only live inside of Q’s mind, portraying the irrational anxieties that plague them. It was like watching my own anxieties play out in real-time as they slowly slipped into an almost fear-induced psychosis. 

And yet, I still found myself laughing. Not because this is funny, but because Claire Carson and director Diana Watts worked to interweave a silly lightheartedness that took you out of sitting with those bad feelings. This felt almost metaphorical, representing how Q was avoidant in addressing their deepest fears and insecurities. 

One second, Q is focused on their spell; the next, you’re taken to a heart-wrenching memory that exists alongside their self-hatred, and then suddenly you’re laughing. There’s never a dull moment. At one point, I found myself on the verge of tears, then suddenly, I was giggling and kicking my feet over their best friend’s witty jokes and hilarious over-usage of the word “bitch.”

Quinn shows appreciation for their best friend after she guided them through not only their spell, but their healing. // Photo by Janetta Leigh.

Relatability, especially as a queer-identifying person, is refreshing to see in the performance. However, my ability to relate came as no surprise as Carson took inspiration from her nearest and dearest. ”

The production is sort of an amalgamation of a lot of queer people that I love,” Carson says. 

Kissing in the Grocery Store hits many topics in its 90 minute runtime: discussions of queerness, gender identity, manifestation, family, healing, religious trauma, bisexuality, shame, and everything in between. No matter your life experience or how you identify, I can promise that you’ll either learn something or feel incredibly seen like I did. 

“This play really wouldn’t exist without a theater artist named Abigail Birkett. They acted in a play that I wrote, and reached out to see if I had anything queer and witchy for a short play festival they were doing. So I wrote just a short, like, maybe 20 minute version of this, and Abigail was the one that pitched it to Whim. They facilitated that connection, and I’m so grateful for that,” Carson says.

Whim Productions is an LGBTQ+-based theatre that is dedicated to working with writers and actors to put queer narratives on the big stage. Since 2019, Whim Productions has been only working with playwrights who are members of the queer community. 

Kissing in the Grocery store will be showing Feb. 6-16 at Whim Productions. Tickets are $25 if bought in advance, and $28 at the door. Whim also offers “Pay What You Whim” nights so that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy queer theatre. 

Dates and Times:

Thursday, Feb 13th, 7:30 pm

Friday, Feb 14th, 7:30 pm

Saturday, Feb 15th, 7:30 pm

Sunday, Feb 16th, 3:00 pm

Whim Productions is located at 415 Prospect Ave, Kansas City, MO 64124.