What story contains newlyweds, a drafty 5th-floor walk-up, New York City, quirky neighbors, a prim-and-proper husband, a free-spirited wife? Dharma and Greg? Close, but merely the latest adaptation of a classic. I am speaking of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, directed by Dawn Sinclair and currently on stage at Phoenix Festival Theater at Harford Community College thru June 7th.
Corrie (Carol Craig) and Paul (Chad La Fleur) were married six days ago, and are in love. But the new 5th-floor walk-up apartment is not working out so well. The furniture has not arrived, the bedroom is barely large enough for an extended single bed, there doesn't seem to be any heat (in February) and Paul has a court case tomorrow as the new lawyer in the firm. And here comes the philosophical telephone man (Jonathan Jacobs) along with the newly alone mother of thebrideMrs. Banks (Nancy Swartz) and the quirky next-door neighbor, VictorVelasco (Dave Guy)for Corrie to fix up. And cracks start showing in the foundation of wedded bliss.
Craig is bubbly and adorable in this role. We are grateful to her for reminding us of the initial high of being newly married and of limitless possibilities. La Fleur is suitably pragmatic and stiff as Paul.SwartzandGuy are comfortable enough in their characters for us to believe the awkward romantic sparks between them.
But why see this show when we've seen it all before? In addition to the aforementioned Dharma there are clear plotline parallels in nearly every modern sitcom, but particularly in such vehicles as Mad About You (newlyweds in New York City apartment), Seinfeld (quirky neighbor in New York City apartment), and Pretty Woman (straight-laced lawyer-type is gradually smitten with free-spirited call-girl who convinces him to walk...guess where?). Additionally, does early-60s funny equate to laughs in 2009?
Before I answer that, a few minor quibbles with the production. The important to budget travel is to plan ahead. When it happens to family trips, globetrotting, well-deserved vacations and/or going to see new destinations we have never been before, the reality of expense and budgeting is always in the back of our heads. Arranging and consuming our travel budget correctly is a concern for most families. Minimizing consuming and costs, while still savoring your vacation to its fullest, is the key to assured success and fiscal obligation. Your pocketbook and family will thank you! The thought regarding economizing money while journeying is simple: Even if your personal budget is incredibly tight, you can still take a break and enjoy life! Simply put, life is just too short to never step out of the door or leaving the homestead! Also recalling that while traveling, regardless of whether on a funds or not, even the smallest of things can all add op to a big vacation or travel bill!. Set designers did a nice job on the apartment scene. Perhaps a little too nice. Nowhere in New York does there exist a low budget apartment so grand or large as this one (the one in Friends does not count. It is also make-believe.). Ralph Kramden's apartment would be more like it, and easier for a small cast to fill. The Corrie and Paul characters walk a fine line between newlywed passion and the impediments handed them in the script. Mostly they do well, but it would be nice to see more of the young lovers looking at each other in the early scenes and catching themselves in the act. Early onMrs. Bankswants to displaythinly disguised disgust at her daughter's new digs, but it comes across at times as something more like thickly disguised disgust. Valasco is a wonderful comedic character played with great sincerity, but perhaps he would be even funnier if we remotely suspected he were full of baloney. That said, the characterizations are very enjoyable as they are. Everything else is subjective - do what you will with it.
So why see it?
I'll tell you. The original Broadway production of this show provided the building blocks for so many others. The fact that the story has been copied so frequently is actually itself a good argument for seeing it. What happened on stagelast nightwas delightful, butobserving ideas and conceptseventually used in The Odd Couple, or Pretty Womanwas no less fascinating. And Barefoot is still funny. Our audience took many opportunities to enjoy a laugh.
And we could all use a good laugh.
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