"Barefoot In The Park" - Neil Simon's longest running hit - opened on Broadway in 1963 after previews at the Bucks County Playhouse along the Delaware River. Over fifty years later the show has "floated" upstream to the Shawnee Playhouse as part of their current season.
The play is a comedy set in a Brownstone apartment along East 48th Street in Manhattan in a bitter cold February in the 1960's. When we first see the tiny apartment it is empty and waiting for new tenants who arrive in the form of Paul and Corie Bratter “ a young couple fresh from their honeymoon at the Plaza Hotel.
Corie (Emmellene Usera) is a free-spirited, idealistic young woman who enjoys living life to the fullest. She prefers spontaneity and adventure in contrast to her husband Paul (Joshua Keller) who is a more reserved and interested in becoming a successful lawyer.
The newlyweds move into the converted Brownstone and learn the building is occupied by an eclectic collection of tenants (to Corie's delight and Paul's dismay) including a debonair gentleman who lives in the "attic apartment above them" named Victor Velasco (Marty Courtney). Velasco is a worldly man who enjoys spicy foods and is familiar with foreign customs, much to the delight of Corie.
As the newlywed couple tries to settle into their tiny apartment and dealing with their new upstairs neighbor, Corie's mother arrives (Sarah McCarroll) from New Jersey and Corie realizes this may be the chance to encourage her mother to stop living the "dull" life she has resigned herself to by setting her up on a date with Victor.
The play is in three acts “ the first set in the empty apartment where we meet the entire cast and learn of the problems the young newlyweds encounter (plumbing issues and waiting for the arrival of their furniture delivery) and even though they stumble through these issues they resolve them quickly and return to a loving, starry-eyed couple.
It is during the second act “ after the apartment has been decorated and the "date" between Velasco and Corie's mother is established “ where the young couple begin to fall apart as they realize that they are very different and perhaps not able to be together when Paul prefers to behave as a "stuffed shirt" and Corie is willing to run barefoot through Washington Square Park even though it is below freezing outside.
"Barefoot In The Park" is a dated piece, to be sure, especially with the references to the technology of the 60's which include an appearance by a telephone repair man (Keith Oney). However, the lighthearted tone and underscore of love beneath the sarcasm makes the show as amusing today as it was when it first opened.
Emmellene Usera and Joshua Keller do a fine job as the young lovers who quickly collapse into a beleaguered relationship on the brink of disaster. Ms. Usera is the right mixture of frothy and light when she first appears but tends to become too angry at times which may have made her part less sympathetic to the audience.
Mr. Keller is enjoyable to watch as Paul although there is a palpable lack of chemistry between himself and Corie. For two people who are supposed to be in love and fresh from their honeymoon they behave more as friends "hanging out" together. Still, the young couple are full of energy and their action is non-stop from the moment they step on stage.
Sarah McCarroll is delightful as Corie's mother. She perfectly balances all the different emotions this character needs to convey right down to an especially tender moment between mother and daughter near the end of the play. Marty Courtney as Victor Velasco might have played the role with more zest when he is trying to impress (or seduce) but he pull off his more subdued moments with charm.
Though they have "smaller" roles Keith Oney as the telephone repairman and Kevin Hillman as the delivery man are both amusing and round out the cast nicely.
The set is a well-done representation of a tiny New York apartment including a cleverly lighted cityscape scene through a large window upstage. The set transforms from an empty apartment to a more "lived in" space during the intermission and although the transition is quick it still has the effect of establishing that a lot of effort and attention have gone into making this first apartment a "home." The set and cast are well-lit by a simple lighting scheme and although there were some light cues missed on the night of our performance the cast handled these well.
Director Michael Gilbert succeeds at bringing out the humor in the show but pacing does tend to be an issue, slowing down the action a little much. Of course there are still plenty of laughs and Mr. Gilbert and his cast do their best to deliver every punch line. The show is light, witty, romantic and insightful “ and even though some of the themes in this play are from nearly half a century ago the story of love and understand is still relevant today.
"Barefoot In The Park" at The Shawnee Playhouse will give you laughs while putting you in a romantic mood. The show runs May 15 to 31. For tickets call 570-421-5093 or visit www.theshawneeplayhouse.com.