CONEJO PLAY SUPERBLY PORTRAYS MODERN LIFE : THE FACTS.

Byline: Victoria Giraud People and Places

Seeing the Conejo Players' latest afternoon theater presentation, ``Lips Together Teeth Apart,'' reminded me of the famous line in the film ``All About Eve,'' when Bette Davis acerbically remarks: ``Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night.''

Playwright Terrence McNally pulls no punches in his adult-theme, four-person play about the pains and fears of modern life. There's plenty to laugh about as we recognize ourselves, and laughter softens the blow of comments that pierce at gut level. Better yet, the ensemble acting is superb.

Sally and Sam Truman have invited Sam's sister, Chloe, and her husband, John, for the Fourth of July holiday at the Trumans' newly inherited Fire Island beach house. The house formerly belonged to Sally's beloved brother, who died from AIDS, a fact that brings out each person's dysfunction, secrets and prejudices.

The frenetic Chloe, played appealingly by Marcy Adriane Austin, likes to keep her life on the surface, away from the frightening depths. She spices her conversations with mispronounced French phrases, carries on about her roles in community theater and frankly discusses her sex life.

Chloe is still amazed that she attracted and married the serious, intellectual John - played engrossingly by Michael Schweitzer - who hides fear of openness to others by reading the newspaper and doing the crossword puzzle.

Sally, provocatively played by Melanie Lindgren, is a thinker, an uptight person who describes herself as both humble and arrogant. David Morgan gives a relaxed and affable performance as Sally's husband, Sam, full of personality but concealing anger and insecurity under his friendly demeanor.

Sam is anxious enough to grind his teeth in his sleep. As a preventive measure, his dentist has advised him to visualize himself with ``lips together, teeth apart'' when he goes to sleep.

As the play progresses and the characters reveal themselves, they become a microcosm of today's ills. And McNally gives his players a good set of woes to chew on: fear of AIDS and homosexuality, infidelity, betrayal, insecurity, the trials of childhood and snobbish attitudes. There's also the big one: fear of death, for inoperable cancer has been diagnosed in John.

The play sparkles from excellent direction by Mary Ann Tachoo. The set from the currently running evening play, ``Rashomon,'' is imaginatively used, as is the background music.

This play truly provides an afternoon of exciting theater that matters. Go see it.

WHAT: ``Lips Together Teeth Apart'' by Terrence McNally.

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and July 19.

WHERE: Conejo Players, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks.

COST: $5.

INFORMATION: [phone].