As someone who grew up on the Southside, I never travel to the Peninsula to see theater.  It's not because I don't think there's good theater on the Peninsula, it just always seems like such a hassle, what with gas being so expensive and tunnel traffic being what it can be.  However, on Saturday night I took the trek to Thomas Nelson Community College to see a production of a seldom produced Neil Simon play, Proposals.  Proposals is directed by Le'Royce Bratsveen the Artistic Director of Iron Street Productions, the organization that has produced the play.  I was incredibly impressed with what I saw.

Proposals, a later (and minor) entry in Neil Simon's canon is not like any of the other plays we know him for.  Proposals is a more serious effort; a domestic melodrama, which allows for some of Simon's trademark quick wit, but also has some weighty and serious moments as well.  This is, according to Mrs. Bratsveen, exactly the reason she chose the play.  In her director's notes she states "I respect the fact that [Simon] took the chance to step outside his comfort zone to write it."  I respect Mrs. Bratsveen's conviction.  It is only when people step outside of where they are safe that true brilliance really happens. 

Proposals is set in the Poconos in the early 1950's.  Burt Hines (Jonathan Manning) lives in the tranquil mountains with his daughter Josie (Jessie Lee Orozco), and Clemma Diggins (Pat Theriault), the family's African-American housekeeper.  Burt is divorced from his wife Annie (Kimberly Vernall), although he still carries a torch for her.  Annie and Josie are estranged, Clemma having become a surrogate mother for the young woman.  When Josie breaks off her engagement with her fiance Ken (P.J. Freebourn), Burt invites Annie to come to the house.  Burt has recently suffered a heart attack, and the prognosis is that he may not live long.  Therefore, he has a tremendous stake in seeing that Josie and Annie reconcile their relationship.  However, on the day she is supposed to visit, Burt and his family are inundated by a group of unexpected houseguests.  There is Ray Dolenz (Coley Mustafa Speaks), a young man who works at a nearby resort. He's the man Josie really loves.  Then, there's his girlfriend Samii (Scarlett Black), a dimwitted model.  Strangely enough, Vinnie (Chris Orozco), a mobster that Josie met on a trip to Florida is coming for a visit as well.  And last, but certainly not least, Lewis (Jourdin Roberts), Clemma's husband, who ran out on her seven years earlier, is also returning for an attempt at reconciliation.  Couples are mixed up and rematched as the events move to their inevitable conclusion.

This is all pretty well-worn territory.  Remember the mismatched lovers of A Midsummer Night's Dream?  Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night (which, incidentally, was the basis for the musical A Little Night Music) mined similar material, though with more entertaining results.  Not that there is nothing about Mr. Simon's play to reccomend.  Two dramatic confrontations, an Act One scene between Mr. Manning and Ms. Vernall and another in Act Two between Ms. Theriault and Mr. Roberts catch real dramatic fire, and are not only well-written scenes, but well-performed moments as well.

And as I've already stated,

the efforts of the cast are the real reason to see the show.

Mr. Speaks and Mr. Roberts are both alums of Hampton University, and are both a credit to the theater program there.  Both of their performances are very good.  Mr. Roberts's performance is particularly intelligent and rich with subtext.  Mr. Orozco's Vinnie is a real comedic high point of the show, and I was impressed with his performance.  Proposals marks his stage debut, his previous acting experience having been in film and television work.  Ms. Black does a fine job with the character of Samii, although Mr. Simon has given her little to do.  She is, however, very funny.  Ms. Vernall really impresses in the role of Annie with a mature, intelligent and heartbreakingly sincere performance. 

Ms. Orozco, while still a worthy member of this strong ensemble, has made some choices with the character of Josie that I don't agree with.  There was a youthfulness and petulance that seemed wrong for the educated adult woman she was supposed to be.  Many times the character seemed fourteen years old.  However, Ms. Orozco commits to the choices she's made and proves herself worthy among the rest of the ensemble.

The set design, replete with clothesline, trees, and plants was incredibly effective.  The design is by Victoria Sanders, Mr. Manning and Dale Bratsveen, the Technical Director for Iron Street Productions.  The costumes were not period appropriate, but they were just fine.  Mrs. Bratsveen made the bold choice of colorblind casting (particularly in the role of Ray), and it gives the play a modern immediacy.  It would have been uninvolving if it were done in the period.  The lighting design, which basically consisted of day and night was nice, but some of the changes from day to night were too fast and abrupt.  I excused this to issues of technical feasability, and it detracted, but certainly did not dampen the production.

All in all, I am pretty impressed with Iron Street Productions.