All relationships go through good times and bad times. Some last over time, while others quickly fade away. In Terrence McNally's “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” the heart of this haunting play is a dramatically incisive portrait of two married couples: the Trumans and the Haddocks. Uncomfortable with themselves and others, they are forced to spend a Fourth of July weekend in the Fire Island house that the brother of one of the women left to her sister when she died of AIDS. While the house is beautiful, it is as empty as their lives and marriages have become, a symbol of their failed hopes, their anger, their fears, and the capricious nature of death. The theme of love and death in relationships is developed quickly, as is the overwhelming fear of homophobia. The two couples that McNally brings to life are both going through difficult times in their marriages. While Chloe and John are battling John's esophageal cancer, Sally and Sam expect and fear that this time it will be another miscarriage. Showing how society has instilled fear of AIDS in couples. As everyone except John worries about contracting AIDS, the show begins to reveal troubled marriages, as well as superficial values ​​and prejudices. The conflict between love and death is set quickly and completely in both relationships. Three very important symbols are introduced that are taught to us from an early age. The first symbol is the gold band worn on the left hand, on the third finger. This is a widely known symbol for marriage, a bond that we are taught to believe is always and forever. While that may no longer be the case, at one point that gold band meant more than a piece of paper with names on it. The ring... in the center of the card... between people and made it easier to relate. After all, we all feel anger, we love nervousness; many of us fear death, fear rejection. “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” is more than understanding that everything must end, it's more about self-exploration in the end. Each character, in turn, reveals their insecurities, making them vulnerable in the eyes of the public. Every character is recognizable in some way, at some point. McNally not only shows that every marriage goes through a struggle, but McNally shows that every person goes through a struggle. Bringing society's point of view on topics such as AIDS and homosexuality through Sam or the nervousness of becoming a father through John. “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” brings more to the table than one might initially believe: once the story begins to unravel, the audience is lost in a sea of ​​comfort and understanding..