February 22, 2002

There is a didactic paradox that rings through "Crossing Delancey", the romantic comedy by Susan Sandler being presented by the Monmouth Players at the Navesink Library Theater, Middletown. The play takes leading character Isabelle Grossman (played by Tara DiFlumeri) on a dreamy journey of self-discovery and inspired wisdom.

Isabelle is a clerk in a highbrow Manhattan bookstore. She longs to be the love interest of Tyler Moss (played by William Rogers), a celebrated author and intellectual of the moment. Isabelle often visits her Bubbie (played by Frances Makwinski) on the lower East Side. Bubbie and her cronie Hannah, a matchmaker (played by Ar Loecke), hatch a scheme to introduce Isabelle to Sam, a soft spoken neighborhood pickle merchant (played by Paul Renick). Isabelle is outraged at the very idea of being the object of a matchmaker, but to please her Bubbie, she agrees to meet Sam.

At first, Isabelle has no intention of dating Sam. But later, when she receives an "anonymous" gift from him, she reconsiders. The play's turn of events is surprising, gratifying and meaningful, delivering important messages to Isabelle and the audience: Judging a book by its cover is often a mistake, and sometimes the most sophisticated can be found in the most provincial.