Theatre stages Barefoot in the Park prior to lockdown
Pitlochry Festival Theatre bravely opened its 2020 season with a production of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park before entertainment was curtailed by the escalating coronavirus pandemic.
Barefoot in the Park was Neil Simon’s second Broadway hit after Come Blow Your Horn, and is still fondly remembered by many.
The play originally starred Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley – Jane Fonda joined Redford in the hit 1967 film – which firmly established Simon as a master of comedy with his sharp wit, firm structure, and vivid characterisations of likeable middle-class urban dwellers.
Artistic director Elizabeth Newman, responsible for many of last year’s successful Pitlochry productions, wisely did not update the evergreen comedy in the Spring production – presented in conjunction with the Royal Lyceum Theatre – keeping it set in the 1960s.
Here we have the free-spirited Corie ( Jessica Hardwick) and conservative lawyer Paul (Olivier Hubandl) who, after a six-day honeymoon at the The Plaza Hotel, face the actual business of settling down and living together.
This proves slippery with many tribulations to be faced before leading to a surprising blow-up.
Corie has found a run-down fifth-floor Greenwich Village walk-up apartment and, with her naive optimism, feels the flat will become “their” place.
Paul, meanwhile, is dismayed with each shortcoming – no bath tub, little heat, a tiny bedroom, a skylight with a broken pane, and a seriously challenging kitchen.
The long five floor climb to their apartment finds most callers exhausted by the time they reach the front door of the apartment!
The new bride’s sole interest, besides furnishing their empty apartment, is to pamper her husband, while Paul is just trying to concentrate on his first court case and finds her affection an unwelcome distraction.
Not helping things is the arrival of Corie’s bored, widowed, lonely, hypochondriac mother, Ethyl ( Clare Grogan), and, in addition, they discover they have an eccentric, cosmopolitan neighbour, Victor Velasco (Hamish Clark), who currently lives in the building’s attic.
It appears entrance to the attic can only be accessed through Corie and Paul’s bedroom window!
Corie’s solution of setting Velasco up with her mother may turn out well for the older couple, but threatens to send her marriage to Paul over the edge.
Corie is full of enthusiasm without being manic or screechy – while loving husband, Paul is more restrained with his skilful timing on his side, both are well grounded and demonstrate loveable stage chemistry as the young couple.
Corie arranges a dinner date for them all where mother and neighbour can get to know each other – the evening commences with a interesting pre dinner drinks session where Velasco introduces them to “knicki”, an exotic recipe of eel, onion biscuits, salt, and other spices (in reality there is no such dish apparently Neil Simon created it just for the play).
Returning from the dinner date it is obvious mother has had too much to drink and Velasco decides to be chivalrous and take the lady home.
Mother’s non appearance at her home results in a feud between the loving couple and Paul by this time, suffering from a cold, is fed up with the restrictions of the apartment and decides one of them has to leave.
The result of the ensuing argument fortunately as in all good romantic comedies has a happy ending.
Other parts are played by Marc Small as telephone repair man Harry Pepper.
Given very little stage time, Harry is funny, sympathetic, sweet, shocked, and exhausted by the stairs.
Karis Jacks sings a collection of cool songs accompanied by Tom Self on piano, which form a convenient passage of time within the play adding to the atmosphere.
Barefoot in the Park, is a lesson in classic comic construction, combining slapstick, door slamming angst, funny drunkenness, and Corie’s enthusiastic energy.
The theme weaves the crazy threads together by playing one incident off another, and smoothly develops situations which are peppered with quick responses and boisterous physicality
The universal lessons and stellar characterisations deliver a timeless look at newlyweds beginning a life together.