Comments from the Director:

Neil Simon has always been one of my favorite playwrights. I love his sense of humor and the way he weaves his stories about real people who often seem to be placed in somewhat unusual situations. Proposals is a relatively recent Neil Simon play, having run on Broadway in 1997.

I am truly honored to have been asked by Patio Playhouse to direct this play. It is also my pleasure to introduce several new actors who are making their debut appearance at Patio Playhouse.

The story takes place during an idyllic afternoon in the summer of 1953 at the Hines cabin in the Poconos. It's a summer of romantic entanglements which intertwine the nine characters.

Burt Hines, a recovering workaholic, is anticipating a visit from his ex-wife Annie, whom he still loves.

Josie, Burt's daughter, has just broken off her engagement to a Harvard Law student, Ken, and secretly wishes to reunite with his buddy Ray, with whom she had a brief fling the previous summer.

Clemma, who narrates the story, dreads a visit from Lewis, the husband who left her seven years earlier.

Sammii, a model with a less-than-brilliant intellect shows up with Ray, and Vinnie, a young Miami gangster, shows up with a gift for Josie.

All in all not your typical afternoon in the Poconos.

James R. Alburger