by Michael Hixon (Updated: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 4:51 PM PST)
Ted Escobar, Kimberly Patterson, Patrick Vest and Barbara Sutter star in ‘Barefoot in the Park.’
Conservative Paul and the free-spirited Corie are newlyweds whose fledgling relationship is put to the test with the appearance of her mother, a crazy neighbor, as well as the complications of a tiny New York apartment, in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park,” which opens this week at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse.
The young couple, who are virtual opposites personality-wise, must not only adjust to married life in the Manhattan brownstone - which has a snow-leaking skylight, no heat, five flights of stairs and a neighbor, Victor Velasco, who must walk through their apartment to get to his attic room - but also deal with Corie’s widowed mother, Ethel Banks, who shows up after their six-day honeymoon. When Corie tries to play matchmaker with her mother and Victor, things begin to unravel even more.
“Barefoot in the Park” debuted on Broadway, with Robert Redford in the leading role of Paul Bratter, in October 1963. The show closed after 1,500 performances, making it Simon’s longest-running production. Redford reprised his role in the 1967 hit film opposite Jane Fonda. The Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities production will open Friday, Jan. 21, and run through Sunday, Jan. 30. The CLOSBC production stars Patrick Vest as Paul, Barbara Sutter as Corie, Kimberly Patterson as Ethel, Ted Escobar as Victor and Cylan Brown as the telephone repairman.
“I love how he wrote a play about what happens after happily ever after,” said director Stephanie Coltrin. “Most plays are, ‘They meet. They fall in love. They get married. End of story.’ This is, ‘We just got married. We just got off the honeymoon. Oh, my God, we have to live together.’ They fight about stupid things we all fight about.”
Besides the challenges of only two weeks of rehearsal, the role of Ethel had to be replaced twice including this past weekend. But the show must go on, according to Coltrin.
Escobar said Victor takes advantage of everyone’s kindness and infringes on the young couple that just moved in. But Corie then comes up with the “brilliant idea” of playing matchmaker for her mother.
“He’s always broke because he’s an artist,” Escobar said. “He’s a gourmet. He’s a mountain climber. He traveled the world, but he never has his own means. He has no way of supporting himself. He lives in an attic and he gets locked out so he has to climb in the window. But he’s so charming.”
Coltrin said this was her first time directing a Simon play, which has its own challenges, including nailing the punch lines.
“Because the way he writes it, it’s so beautifully constructed, that if you paraphrase it, you blow the punch line,” said Coltrin. “You have to be right on top of what he wrote.”
Escobar added there is “no improv” with Simon’s words.
“He has the dialogue, the actions and the intent all in the words,” he said. “So it’s up to the actor at this point to follow the blueprint with a little nuance they can throw in.”
“Barefoot in the Park” has its gala opening Friday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, located at 710 Pier Ave., and the show runs through Jan. 30. Sunday matinee performances will take place Jan. 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. There will also be a 7 p.m. performance Sunday, Jan. 23. For more information, call (310) 372-4477, or visit www.hermosabeachplayhouse.com.
Question: A special committee whose aim is to map out the Hermosa Beach School District’s future is reporting that the years ahead look bleak. The School District will likely remain solvent for only two years unless drastic measures are taken, such as merging with another district or winning voter approval for a parcel tax. The Strategic Plan Committee presented an update on its findings at the Jan. 12 School Board meeting. - What do you think is the best option for the school district?
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