Synopsis
Lips Together Teeth Apart
Published by Dramatists Play Service
2 Male 2 Female
Sally, married to Sam, a New Jersey contractor, has inherited the house from her brother who died of AIDS
Sam's hyperkinetic sister, Chloe, and her smug, aristocratic husband, John, have come out for the Fourth of July weekend
Amidst the seemingly mundane activities, it becomes apparent that the two men despise each other because John has had an affair with Sally; Sally is panicked and melancholy because she is pregnant and fears miscarriage; and Chloe seems determined to drive them all mad with her incessant babble and enthusiasm for musical comedies
Through monologues unheard by the others, the characters reveal a desperate sense of individual isolation
The only people these four characters find more alien are the gay men partying in the houses on either side of them
As they divert themselves from their own mortality with food, cocktails, the New York Times crossword puzzle, fireworks, charades, and biting jabs at each other and the boys next door, Sally and Sam and John and Chloe find little to celebrate about themselves or their country on its birthday
REVIEWS
"McNally's wit and wild comedy invariably score, and his darker intentions resonate, making Lips Togther one of his most accomplished plays" ~ NY Daily News
"Terrence McNally's fascinating and ultimately quite touching new play ... seems to be built from Chekhovian blueprints" ~ NY Times