Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Zachary Quinton to honor Terrence McNally with livestream of ‘Lips Together, Teeth Apart’
The actors star alongside Celia Kenan-Bolger and Ari Graynor in a reading of the 1991 play
Actors Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Zachary Quinto will pay tribute to Terrence McNally with a livestreamed reading of one of the acclaimed playwright’s works.
McNally died last week from complications due to COVID-19 at the age of 81. The four-time Tony-winner was one of the greatest gay playwrights of the AIDS era, through works such as Love! Valour! Compassion! and Andre’s Mother.
To commemorate McNally, Broadway.com has organized a livestreamed reading of Lips Together, Teeth Apart, his 1991 play about two straight couples who spend Fourth of July weekend on Fire Island surrounded by gay men and afraid to use a pool owned by a man who died of AIDS-related complications.
Ferguson will star as Sam Truman, with Quinto as John Haddock, Tony-winner Celia Kenan-Bolger as Sally Truman, and Ari Graynor as Chloe Haddock.
The livestream will serve as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, Entertainment Weekly reports.
McNally’s husband, Tom Kirdahy, who is a member of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees said in a statement that McNally “used his work to make seemingly insurmountable societal issues seem surmountable through his belief in our unwavering human spirit.”
“Seeing Terrence’s rage, humor, love, and empathy in the face of a virus feels right during this time,” Kirdahy added.
“Theater has always been about bringing people together,” producers Eric Kuhn (Oklahoma!) and Justin Mikita said in a statement. “For our first livestream play reading, we couldn’t think of a playwright that represented that more than Terrence. In these uncertain times we are thrilled to partner with Broadway Cares and provide audiences some moments of relief.”
The livestream will be broadcast on Monday, April 6, at 8 p.m. ET on Broadway.com‘s Facebook and YouTube channels.
Related: Terrence McNally: Stream Two of His Iconic Works
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