Relationships seethe in ‘Lips Together’

Tom Titus

There are certain groups of people you wouldn’t invite to the same

party. In Terrence McNally’s “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” there are

four people who probably shouldn’t be sharing the same breathing

space, even though they’re bound by blood and marital relationships.

This seething drama with wild comical overtones, being presented

at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse, is given a superior interpretation

by director Kristina Leach and her exceptionally strong cast. Its

themes are heavy and definitely adult in nature, and Leach has pulled

no punches in bringing this collection of conflicting issues to the

stage.

The scene is New York’s Fire Island beachfront, a notoriously gay

community, and the play’s two couples undoubtedly are the only

straight people within miles. The cottage was inherited by one of the

four when her brother died of AIDS, and she and her husband are

celebrating the Fourth of July with his sister and her husband, all

middle-class, well-to-do, WASPy types.

From the outset, we realize that communication will be a major

issue. Each of the foursome has his or her personal agenda, which

matters little to the other three. Sally (Cheryl Pellerin) is the

owner by inheritance, and focuses her attention on her artist’s easel

and a drowning man in the distance while her husband, Sam, (Jack

Millis) is concerned with the quality of water in the pool, given its

previous ownership.

Sam’s sister Chloe (Aileen-Marie Scott) is a phenomenally

loquacious person whose constant yammering would rattle all but the

calmest character. Fortunately, that’s the type she’s chosen for a

husband -- John (James Knudsen), for whom extracting his nose from

the newspaper constitutes a major condescension.

Adding fuel to the relationship conflagration is the fact that

John has been cheating with Sally -- and both spouses are aware of

it. The bubble of politeness and denial is bound to burst, and does

so violently late in the play when the two men square off in highly

realistic combat.

Of the four, Scott is the most memorable, as a community theater

actress rehearsing for “Guys and Dolls” -- but who is so dense that

she hears music from “Gypsy” and identifies it as “Annie.” She’s also

continually “on,” a motor mouth of a character who often tends to

pull focus from fellow actors.

In the Costa Mesa production, however, she’s one among equals.

Millis offers a particularly strong performance as her brother, also

no rocket scientist, who keeps asking the meaning of words other

characters use. When he finally snaps, as he does against the benign

John, it’s done with a force and flourish that break down his inner

demons.

Pellerin’s Sally is more introspective, but certainly not

uninteresting. She’s rattled to be sharing this weekend with both her

husband and her lover, and Pellerin brings this anxiety to the

surface in gradual doses.

The seemingly unflappable John is more of a challenge to render

interesting, and playwright McNally takes considerable time in

allowing this character to build. Knudsen’s veneer cracks with a

vengeance, however, when he’s finally pressed into physical action --

and ultimately his range allows him to overcome the larger Millis.

All four share their innermost thoughts and fears, not with each

other, but with the audience in a series of out-of-the-moment asides.

All have dangerous inner rumblings underneath their surfaces -- the

possible exception being Chloe, for whom everything is up top and out

front. Scott’s superior work on this character virtually becomes the

driving force of the play itself.

The complicated beach cottage setting by Kathy and Steve Endicott,

who also stage manage, is as incomplete as its inhabitants’ lives.

This is a deliberate directorial choice by Leach -- who ranks among

the finest actresses in local theater and establishes herself as a

highly skilled director with the Costa Mesa production.

“Lips Together, Teeth Apart” may not be every playgoer’s cup of

tea, given its overtly adult theme and raunchy dialogue. However,

it’s a poignant, often screamingly funny comment on the nature of

relationships that ranks among Terrence McNally’s finest creations.

* TOM TITUS’ reviews run Thursdays and Saturdays.