VWCT review: Barefoot in the Park

By DAVE MOSIER

Van Wert Civic Theatre is bringing one of playwright Neil Simon’s biggest hits to the local stage, starting this Friday, with its upcoming production of Barefoot in the Park.

The play, which ran 1,530 performances on Broadway and is Simon’s longest-running hit, was also a movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Redford also starred in the Broadway production.

The play follows a pair of young New York City newlyweds in the Sixties as they begin married life in a small, drafty apartment on the fifth floor of an elevator-less building. While madly in love, Paul and Corie Bratter are also opposites in personality. Paul is a rather conventional young attorney, while Corie is a free-spirited young woman to whom everything is an adventure.

The VWCT cast is small, just Paul (Adam Shanaman), Corrie (Alea Rex), Corie’s mother Mrs. Banks (Amber Evans), an aging roue named Victor Velasco (Travis Nihiser) that Corie sees as a romantic possibility for her widowed mother, a telephone repairman (Ed Eichler), and a delivery person, (Dizzy Lantz).

As the play begins, the newlyweds’ individual views of their apartment is the first indication the marriage will have its ups and downs — and soon. Paul complains about the hole in the skylight, the small bedroom, and the fact the apartment only has a shower and no bathtub. Corie, on the
other hand, sees the cramped space as charming and romantic.

While cracks in the marriage begin to appear over the apartment, they widen considerably during a disastrous outing with Velasco and Corie’s mother to an Albanian restaurant. The couple get into a hilarious screaming match that ends with Paul sleeping on the couch and Corie’s demand for a divorce.

While the couple eventually reconciles, also hilariously, there is plenty of witty dialogue and physical comedy in between (the long climb to the apartment is a running joke).

Director Joelle May and Assistant Director-Stage Manager Michelle Foster do a great job of bringing Simon’s classic comedy to the VWCT stage, while the cast also maintains the spirit of the production, which features Simon’s signature witty dialogue and crazy situations.

Shanaman and Rex transition seamlessly from cooing newlyweds to a couple on the brink of a divorce, while Rex is particularly adept at the both the hippie optimism and emotional nonsense needed for her character. Shanaman also perfectly captures the bewildered look of a man who discovers he’s married to an emotional whirlwind.

Both Nihiser, as the aging man-about-town who discovers he’s not as young and carefree as he once was, and Evans as the staid widow who learns to unwind (helped by a snootful of ouzo) also do credit to their roles. Of course, Eichler, the consummate VWCT veteran, makes the most of his brief appearances as the harried telephone repairman.

The vintage set also perfectly captures the urban vibe of the Sixties, while sound and lighting contribute to the overall ambiance of the production.

The comedy is the perfect remedy for the winter blahs, or for those who just want an opportunity to laugh a little and enjoy the craziness of a Neil Simon classic. Performances begin this Friday and run through this weekend (February 6-8) and next weekend (February 13-15). Evening performances begin at 7:30, while Sunday matinee curtain times is 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased online at vwct.org or by calling the box office at 419.238.9689.