Bay Theatre’s “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” Resonates With Audience |
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Wednesday, 03 November 2010 19:00
By Cynthia Fowler "We love this place!" said Currie Wooten of Annapolis. "We’ve been coming to Bay Theatre since it opened and have seen almost every performance." The only professional theatre in Anne Arundel County, Annapolis’ Bay Theatre Company is offering Terrence McNally’s witty play, "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," a tragicomedy referring to "how to fall asleep without grinding your teeth at night, an affliction shared by two New York couples," Sam and Sally, John and Chloe, all interrelated because Sam and Chloe are brother and sister. A luxury beach house on Fire Island on the Fourth of July is the setting for this in-depth exploration of marital discord, complicated family relationships — John is Sally’s former lover — and excessive fear of homosexuals and AIDS, which make for a different kind of fireworks to celebrate the Fourth. Everyone, for example, is afraid to swim in the pool because Sally’s brother, having died of AIDS, used to swim there.
Bay Theatre Company has cast Nancy Bannon as Sally and Michael Propster as Sam in the heart-felt production of “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” which will be staged through November 13.
What especially engages the audience is McNally’s clever use of the freeze monologue, where a character expresses out loud his or her most private, secret, honest thoughts while the other characters on stage temporarily freeze in motion and time, unaware of what is being said.
As Sam, convincingly played by Michael Propster, observes, "No one wants to listen to who we really are." This is the heart of the play.
Perhaps the most challenging role in Lips Together is Chloe, outstandingly played by Colleen Delany, who intermittently bursts into song from Broadway shows and peppers her conversation with French expressions, all the while trying to play hostess and keep everyone fed. Delany captures the role perfectly — her outward energy and enthusiasm masking her inner hurt and vulnerability. Demonstratively affectionate toward her husband John, who frequently rebuffs her, Chloe is always chattering, and in her monologue reveals why: "I talk too much because I know what’s going on." What’s going on is the lingering yearning of her husband for her sister-in-law Sally.
Britton Herring fits the part of Chloe’s husband John to a T, especially with regard to the detachment, dismissive-ness and condescension he shows not only to his wife, but to his brother-in-law Sam. His seemingly superior demeanor belies his fear of dying from cancer and his guilt and shame for hurting Sam. Much of the humor in this play comes from John’s caustic wit, which Herring delivers with bull’s-eye precision.
Beautifully played by Nancy Bannon, Sally is the sensitive, artistic soul, who laments the death of her brother David and agonizes throughout the play about a man who, before her eyes, swims out too far in the ocean, an extended metaphor for the gulf between people and the inability to reach out and help others. Bannon truly embraces the sensibilities of her character; that is, the self-doubt to succeed at capturing the beauty of the ocean scene she is painting and the ambivalence of competing emotions - for example, loving and missing her brother while at the same time disapproving his sexual orientation.
Counteracting Sally’s serious and delicate nature is her husband Sam’s practical and playful demeanor. Michael Propster does an excellent job of seeming tough-skinned and funny on the surface, but deeply pained underneath because of his wife’s infidelity. Propster is thoroughly believable as the average guy that many take for granted.
The unpredictable, lively, give-and-take interplay of characters, the witty and humorous dialogue, the complex and richly developed characters, not to mention the wonderful set complete with a real shower on stage, all make McNally’s brilliant play a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining evening. "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," which is directed by Gillian Drake, runs through November 13. For more information, contact 410-268-1333 or www.baytheatre.org.
