Review: Scenes From a Summer House Tell a Charming Story in The Ensemble's PLENTY OF TIME

John Shevin Foster's PLENTY OF TIME, currently playing at The Ensemble Theatre, opens with Sly and the Family Stone loudly proclaiming, "I am everyday people."

It's a theme that Foster's play both stresses and builds upon.

Directly inspired by Bernard Slade's SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR, Foster has crafted a parallel but alternative story, one that explores both the coming of age of two black American baby boomers and society at large.

Like Slade's play, PLENTY OF TIME centers around two people, Corey (Steven J. Scott) and Christina (Rachel Hemphill Dickson), who reunite yearly for a weekend together at her parents' house on (the black side of) Martha's Vineyard. When we meet the pair in 1968 on the morning after, it's clear that the two come from different worlds - Christina is a sheltered, spoiled rich girl, a debutante of sorts, and Corey is a waiter, and alleged Black Panther, from the south side of Chicago. Both are engaged to other people and though they clash, the one-night stand turns into a yearly occurrence. As we spend a moment with the couple in each subsequent decade, we see them grappling with change - change in themselves and in the world around them. In 1974, Christina discovers feminism. She rails against "clothes designed by men" and accuses Corey of being "responsible for the oppression of women and minorities" (to which he incredulously replies, "I am a minority!") with all the zealousness of a college student realizing for the first time that the world is unfair. By 1984, Corey has settled into a job as an assistant district attorney and worries that he's sold out. And in 1995, Christina is a working woman trying to have it all, and of course coming up short.

Not to be trite, but I laughed, I cried, and I was thoroughly charmed by PLENTY OF TIME.

The production, directed by Eileen J. Morris, is impressive in the amount of information that is conveyed by two people alone in a room together. Together, Hemphill Dickson and Scott have great chemistry. They engage in an easy banter, tinged with great affection, somehow managing to convey the physical and emotional comfort of two people who have known each other for years.

Considered separately, Christina is a bit of a difficult character, especially in the beginning - in '68 she's shallow and superficial, and in '74 a bit of a harpy. But Hemphill Dickson has a tight grasp on Christina's humanity, which shines through as the show progresses. Just remember that in '68 she's a product of her environment or that in '74 she's a young woman who is only now encountering resistance and people telling her she can't have or be what she wants and bristling against the unfairness and injustice of it. Through the 80's and 90's she becomes a strong voice for compassion and understanding, and we get a glimpse of what her choices have cost her.

In '68, Scott's Corey has a bit of the insufferableness that Christina develops in the '70s, but Scott plays Corey with playful charm and good humor throughout. There's a pragmatism that colors his actions that makes it easy to identify with him. But as the years wear on, it becomes clear that Corey is no less vulnerable to the power of expectations than Christina. His difficult and ultimately tragic relationship with his son gives Scott a chance to excel, which he does.

For a show that traverses through the decades, it's important to have a behind the scenes team that is as flexible as they are good, and PLENTY OF TIME has it in Lee O. Barker (Scenic Design), Andrea Brooks (Costume Design and Wardrobe Maintenance), and Roenia Thompson (Hair/Makeup Design). The set is as bright and clean and utilitarian as any hotel room. A fun part of the show is quickly scanning the set at the start of each new scene to see what's changed, like the phone going from rotary to cordless, the music player going from 8-track to stereo. So are the changes in clothes, hair, and makeup. Especially tricky is the fact that the characters have to age throughout the show, an element that can easily become cartoony in the wrong hands. Luckily, between the performances from Hemphill Dickson and Scott and the subtle changes in hair and makeup, this did not happen.

I will say that what should be another one of the most fun and nostalgic parts of the play, the slideshow that shows the passage of time during scene changes, actually served to undermine the show. The slideshow was uneven, sometimes going year by year and sometimes in chunks of time for no discernable reason. One slide was repeated twice. The photos used were not always the best quality. And there was the sense that the creator didn't trust the audience, unnecessarily identifying events with text when they should have been allowed to stand on their own.

Still, PLENTY OF TIME is a sweet romantic comedy, simultaneously looking back with nostalgia and looking forward with hope. It's not to be missed.

PLENTY OF TIME runs through June 5. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m; Fridays at 8 p.m; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m; and Sundays at 3 p.m. The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main St. 713-520-0055. For more information, visit www.ensemblehouston.com.

Photo credit: David Bray

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