'Lips Together, Teeth Apart' Opens At Playhouse

Artistic Director Mark Lamos has once again delivered a thought provoking and yet entertaining production to the Westport Country Playhouse with Terrence McNally's “Lips Together, Teeth Apart.”

At last night's opening, the play about two straight couples weekend stay at a Fire Island beach house that was formerly owned by one of the character's brother David, who recently died of AIDS, addressed serious contemporary issues.

At the same, under the tutelage of Lamos' experienced hand, there was a levity to the production that was sprinkled with many hilarious moments as four forty-something adults muddle through a Fourth of July celebration.

The performances rendered by all four experienced actors — Chris Henry Coffey as John Haddock; John Ellison Conlee as Sam Truman; Maggie Lacey as Sally Truman; and Jenn Gambatese as Chloe Haddock — were solid and successfully conveyed the nuances of marriage and sibling relationships.

In fact, Gambatese was so captivating as the ultra-hyper wife to John and overbearing sister to Sam, that I heard one audience member remark during intermission that she wanted to shut Chloe up because she was “so annoying.”

That was, of course, the point of playwright Terrence McNally's penning this over-the-top protagonist who even admits early on in the play that the reason she talks incessantly is to avoid looking at the issues at hand. These include, but are not limited to, infidelity, terminal illness, infertility, self-esteem issue and, of course, a young man's death from AIDS.

Saturday night's audience was delighted with Chloe's frequent bursting into song — and sometimes dance — as she distracted herself and the other family members with musical theater tunes she learned as part of her community theater group.

Gambatese's vocal chops are showcased in “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” as she unexpectedly peppers her discourse with musical selections from “Guys and Dolls” and other American musical theater classics, as well as an occasional French phrase or two thrown in.

The Playhouse production opens with a spectacular view of the ocean which is beautifully rendered on a backdrop behind an exquisite beach house set. For this play, the set, lighting and sounds — managed by technical masters with numerous Broadway credits — were an integral part of its story line.

Kudos to scenic designer Andrew Jackness and lighting designer Robert Wierzel for visually illuminating the play's complexities as much as Lamos' sensitive touch. Jackness provided a three-feet deep working pool that represents the fears and prejudices that accompanied the onset of AIDS in the early 1980's. A working shower with running water — albeit scalding hot water, according to Sam—is impressive.

Wierzel's subtle lighting changes mirrored the sun's natural decline so that one felt like they were truly traveling through the day with these people and, like David's invisible but looming presence, were there to witness their gradual awakening to some truths.

John Gromada's expert recreation of the Atlantic Ocean beachfront, complete with ocean breezes and the hypnotic ebb and flow of waves crashes against the sand, was instrumental in drawing the audience in.

“Lips Together, Teeth Apart” is not your typical summer stock fare, though there is much laughter to be had. It's in the characters' outrageous behavior — including a fight scene between the two brothers-in-law — and comedic antics — Sam teasing his sister with a snake — that allows the playwright to discuss the weighty themes in a way that doesn't make people too uncomfortable.

I heard an audience member gasp in the third act when Chloe and Sam matter-of-factly provided homophobic and racist comments. My eighteen year-old daughter, who grew up in a time when a diagnosis of AIDS is not a death sentence and gay marriage is now legal in many states, was also appalled by some of politically incorrect dialogue. I pointed out that it's exactly this kind of jarring language that gets people's attention, which is what is needed if tolerance of each other's differences is to be found.

One of the many elements that I loved about the play itself is that McNally doesn't seem to condemn the characters for their beliefs. He simply offers complex characters grappling with real-life, emotional reactions to the world around them. I also applaud Lamos' decision to culminate the production with a spectacular visual technique that made it seem like the characters were experiencing a haze that so often accompanies a day at the beach. Bright lights emanating from the rear of the theater also served to bask the audience in this light.

“Lips Together, Teeth Apart” is not to be missed. It's funny, intriguing and nothing short of what sophisticated Westport audiences have come to expect at their own professional playhouse located in the downtown business district.

“I'm thrilled and honored to be able to direct and present Terrence McNally's now-classic depiction of four people dealing with the reality of illness and renewal, connection and separation, and the constantly surprising upheavals of life as we think we know it,”
Lamos said.