Perry T. Schwartz Emily Thompson, Jonathan Douglass and Ellen Mansueto star in “Sex and Education.”

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Suspicions, or at the very least expectations, tend to surface quickly when the word “sex” is part of a play title. It turns out that “Sex and Education,” currently being produced by Arts Alive Theatre and the Doorway Arts Ensemble, is really about sex and education. Not only is it true to its title, it is also cleverly written, thought provoking and often quite funny.

This is the East Coast premiere of the play, but not the first time Washington, D.C.-area audiences have had an opportunity to see it. The play has been in development for two-plus years, including a staging at this past summer’s Capitol Fringe Festival as a one-act. From there, it went out west and became a full-blown two-act play before returning to its current staging at the Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. Playwright Lissa Levin, who has impressive credentials both in the theater and television on the West Coast, obviously put a great deal of time and care into this. It paid off. She has a winner.

Congratulations are in order to all concerned for the multitude of hours, the hard fought for dollars, and the love and care that went into this production. Doorway Ensemble Arts is being true to its mission “... to develop and support a theater company that champions the production of new plays written by the best of promising playwrights and spotlighting new theater talent throughout the Washington, D.C., metro area.” Not to mention “socially relevant new works at affordable prices.”

The play revolves around stud basketball player Joe Marks, who is taking his last final exam before graduating. Much to his dismay, the class is taught by Miss Edwards, an about-to-retire teacher who has had her fill of passing star athletes in order to keep her job — even though they often cannot put together a cogent sentence. Joe gets caught passing a lascivious and very badly composed note to his cheerleader girlfriend Hannah during the exam. The fun begins as Miss Edwards takes one last shot at making education matter to someone whose passion is definitely not English literature.

One test of a good script is the ability to withstand questionable casting choices and/or acting performances. As good as the play is, this production suffers from a less than ideal performance by Jonathan Douglass as Joe Marks. Douglass has a very likable stage persona and a winning way that get him by. But the play could be better by leaps and bounds with a more accomplished actor who fits the role.

Levin employs a number of interesting and out of the ordinary ways of telling the story. The characters frequently speak directly to the audience, often in the middle of a conversation or scene taking place with another character. Hannah, the girlfriend cheerleader, comes on at odd moments to highlight — literally to cheer — grammar lessons.

Emily Thompson is good in the role of Hannah, although the chemistry between her and Douglass is not near what it should be. They are at that awkward time in their lives when deciding on the right time, place and person with whom to have a first sexual experience pretty much dominates their existence.

The situation is ripe for comedy and Levin has written it well. Unfortunately, the comedy too often comes off as embarrassingly awkward. The awkwardness in the situation should drive the comedy. Instead, the mismatch between Douglass and Thompson and the lack of visible teenage hormones at work play as simply awkward.

Ellen Mansueto is perfectly cast as Miss Edwards. Completely believable and possessed of a sense of comic timing along with an appreciation for how to throw a line away and still have it be funny, she does an excellent job of keeping the play on track. Her “asides” to the audience are the highlights of the production. It is a shame she does not have someone stronger in the role of Joe to keep up with her.

The play revolves around Miss Edwards keeping Joe after school to rewrite his lascivious note until it meets her standards for writing a convincing essay. There is very funny material in here. There are also dramatic clashes as Joe tries his best to talk his way out of the situation — sometimes cajoling, sometimes threatening. In the process, both he and Miss Edwards experience some revelations about themselves and their lives that hit home.

This is what makes this play a winner. The comedy and the insights Joe and Miss Edwards have about themselves and each other happen naturally in the context of the situation exactly as a cleverly written comedy should. Nothing is forced.

The Cultural Arts Center of Montgomery County College provides an ideal venue and director and lead producer Perry T. Schwartz from the Arts Alive Theatre displays a deft touch in moving the characters around a small, constrictive mini classroom. His direction in this case is exactly as it should be: transparent.

It is not easy to write comedy that is natural, funny and insightful. Levin has succeeded superbly with “Sex and Education.”