Published Tuesday, October 8, 2002
the question
Herald Staff Writer
A real marriage proposal Saturday lent a true ring to the interactive musical, "Tony and Tina's Wedding," at the end of its three-day run at McQuiston Center by the Park in Sandy Lake.
And if the sold-out success of the play is any indicator, the newly engaged couple will have a prosperous future.
"The community's response to this event was wonderful," said Heidi Perrine, director of the senior center. "Everyone involved worked together so well."
The senior center fund-raiser, which raised about $2,500, involved members of the community as part of the cast, and treated the audience to dinner and musical entertainment.
And a former Sandy Lake resident decided to treat his girlfriend to a diamond ring for dessert.
Ryan Booher of Pittsburgh, whose parents Sandy and Allan Booher of Clarks Mills portrayed a bridesmaid and groomsman in the pseudo-wedding, proposed to his girlfriend during the reception scene.
"She didn't know what to say," Booher said, referring to now-fiancee Heather Soones. "She knew I had the ring, so I had to catch her off-guard."
The play-within-a-play took place with the help of the cast and crew who arranged for the couple to sit at a table near the front of the room. The character of the uninvited drunken ex-boyfriend whom Tina rebuffs made a play for Heather.
"He (the drunk) started proposing to her and she got all jittery because she's real shy, so she jumped on my lap to get away from him," Booher said. "I started to argue with the uninvited boyfriend, getting into the play-acting, and said, 'How dare you hit on my girlfriend when you knew I was going to propose to her tonight?' She tried to step away and sit down and the guy picked her up and stood her right beside him."
That's when Booher got on one knee and made his offer. "I simply said I was just wondering if you would do me the greatest honor in the world and be my best friend forever," he said. "She hung there for 3 seconds, and the uninvited ex-boyfriend said, 'Are you going to answer?' and she said, 'Yes, yes.' "
That's the same answer Mrs. Perrine gave when asked if the center planned to do similar events in the future. "We're going to do something again, because it was too much fun," she said, referring to the packed house of 225 each night of the production.
She also commended her staff, which includes Becky Buckley, Joan Segaty and Sam Plummer, their families and her own.
"Can you imagine having a wedding reception three days in a row? To think that we still like each other this morning after all we went through," Mrs. Perrine said. "They were actually the glue that put all this together."
As for the performance, Booher said, "The play was great. It was excellent. I've seen the original in Pittsburgh done by professionals, but seeing it done by all the people you know made it much better."