Michael Cristofer

Elizabeth recounts a painful and humiliating romantic encounter to her friend Hart, detailing the emotional fallout of a failed sexual experience on her 20th birthday. As she describes the vulnerability of unrequited love and the subsequent coldness of her suitor, Hart listens with a mixture of fascination and deep empathy, reflecting on his own romantic struggles.

Act I. Luba recounts a humiliating attempt to confront her ex-lover at his office, which resulted in her vomiting on his secretary's desk. She reflects on her lack of grace and her subsequent attempt to move on with a plumber.