Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Welcome back to New York City in 1963 to witness the Tony Award winning “Barefoot in the Park” by Neil Simon. This is the current show by Renaissance City Theatre Inc, the producing entity at the Granite Theatre. The show follows the lives of two newlyweds, Corie and Paul Bratter as they start their lives in a 5th floor brownstone walk up on 48th Street in New York City. They continually have to climb up six wheezing flights to get there. They also have no furniture and there is no room for a double bed. Also the paint job is all wrong, there’s no heat and it’s February. On top of all that their bohemian neighbor is only able to access his padlocked apartment via their window ledge. What results is a tale of two people coming to terms with loving each other for who they are, and accepting each other for who they are not. When Paul fails to grasp the romance of their quirky living situation, Corie begins to fear her husband is a stuffed shirt. Director Judy George directs and blocks this 1960’s Neil Simon comedy wonderfully. She obtains fine-tuned performances from them. This topnotch comedy receives a thunderous standing ovation at the close of the show as well as nonstop laughter all night long.
Director George makes her cast delve into these characters and bring their emotions to the surface in wonderful performances. She has the cast act as moving men changing the set by combining Act 1 and 2 to make this version a two act show. The gorgeous brownstone apartment set is by David Jepson with a huge window so we can see Victor, Cory and Paul on the ledge while the lovely 1960’s costumes are by Beth Jepson and the cast. The leading lady, Chelsea Mitchell is a splendid and energetic actress who plays a variety of emotions. She enters gangbusters in the first scene and runs the gamut of emotions as Corie especially in the argument scene where she goes from hysterical to angry to sad with wonderful timing and finesse. Mitchell’s line delivery as this newly married woman is spot on and the goulash eating scene is hilarious as is her treatment of Paul. She also does a great job in her monologues.
Her leading man, John Cillino does a terrific job with his portrayal of this harried newly wed man trying to please his young bride. His entrances into the apartment are performed wonderfully as he tumbles over the chair in the drunken scene. Their argument scene is serious at first and then hilarious with Mitchell crying and Cillino trying to sleep on the sofa only to have it snow on him. During the drunk scene he keeps chasing her around the room and never catching her. Paul finally gives in to Corie’s begging him to try new things, by finally running through the park barefoot in the freezing cold and climbing onto the ledge to declare his love for her at last. She joins him on the ledge as they joyfully reunite. They capture the essence of these characters, creating a fun filled comedy for audiences to savor and enjoy.
Mari Enrique is splendid as Ethel Banks, Corie’s mother. She steals many a scene whether she is climbing the six flights of stairs, delivering rapid fire one liners or choking on the exotic gourmet food. Enrique’s comic timing is apparent especially when she comes to after Paul carries her up the six flights of stairs and also when she appears in the final scene where she is a strange bathrobe and slippers unable to remember what happened to her. The crazy upstairs Hungarian neighbor, Victor Velasco is excellently played by Geoff Blanchette. His funny accent is hilarious as are his womanizing ways and wacky behavior. The eating of the gourmet food is hysterical and boosting Corie up to fix the radiator while trying to give her a cheap feel is, too. Enrique and Blanchette’s crazy antics win many laughs all night long. Rounding out the cast as the telephone repair man is Warren Usey who wins laughs when he installs the phone in Act 1 and repairing it in Act 3 as well as Robert Mockler as the out of breath Lord and Taylor delivery man. So for a fantastic Neil Simon comedy that is as fresh now as it was back in 1963, be sure to catch “Barefoot in the Park” at Granite Theatre. You will definitely leave the theater laughing uproariously. Tell them Tony sent you. Kudos to first time director Judy George on a job very well done.
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK(28 June to 21 July)
Renaissance City Theatre Inc, Granite Theatre, 1 Granite Street, Westerly, RI
1(401)596-2341 or www.granitetheatre.com
