|
|
Barefoot in the Park is a clasic romantic comedy (1963) based on the early days of Neil Simon’s marriage to his first wife, Joan. It was one of the earliest of Simon’s collaborations with directory Mike Nichols, who won the Tony Award for Best Director. An instant hit with both the critics and the public, it enjoyed a run on Broadway that lasted for almost four years. Here are the character descriptions: Corie Bratter is young, thoroughly romantic, eccentric, adventuresome and impulsive, a free spirit whose idea of fun is to do something wild and crazy. Corie enjoys walking barefoot in the park in the winter, eating exotic food, and thinking of outrageous pranks to play on her neighbors. But at heart she is a traditional housewife whose greatest joy is to create a loving home for her husband. Corie is on stage almost the entire show. Paul Bratter is conventional, conservative and practical, a no-nonsense lawyer who has just been given his first case. Paul is 26 but dresses like he’s 56. Corie thinks he has no spirit of adventure and is too proper and dignified to know how to enjoy himself. That is not to say he has no sense of humor, as he suggests: "I’ll come home early and we’ll wallpaper each other". Ethel Banks, Corie’s mother is middle-aged, somewhat frumpy-looking, with no real life of her own. She is afraid to consider a new relationship with a man and terrified of the prospect of a blind date with Victor Velasco. Like Paul, she is conservative and cautious. She doesn’t "jump into life", she looks first. Victor Velasco is the upstairs neighbor and has a genuine zest for life. He is "58 years old and a thoroughly nice fellow" (his own words). Victor resembles the free-spirited Corie, adventuresome and impulsive, doing whatever gives him the most pleasure in life. He enjoys skiing and mountain climbing and likes to cook exotic food. Married three times, he still has a reputation as a ladies’ man. Harry Pepper - "telephone guy" is a minor character. He is in two scenes and helps to reveal the characters of Paul and Corie. He is an optimist who says: "With all the trouble today, you see a couple of newlyweds, you figure there’s still hope for the world." From Understanding Neil Simon by Susasn Koprince - University of South Carolina Press © 2002 |
|
|
|
The top floor of a brownstone on East 48th Street, ACT II
ACT III
The following day. About 5:00 PM
|
|
|
|
