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.

Sherman McCoy seeks legal advice from Tom Killian, hoping to come clean to the police, but learns the harsh reality of the justice system.

Daryl Van Horne stumbles into a church, battered and cursed, delivering a manic, misogynistic tirade against the divine creation of women.

Sherman panics over his impending arrest and financial ruin while Judy remains obsessively focused on their social status and an upcoming opera.

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.

Daryl attempts to seduce Alex with crude honesty, leading to a confrontation where she insults him before he breaks down her emotional defenses.

Daryl unsettles Jane with his intense views on health, history, and the suppression of female power during an awkward tea in her backyard.

Maria dismisses Sherman's legal anxieties following a hit-and-run, prioritizing her illegal sublet and travel plans over his fear of the police.