"Barefoot,"One of simon's silliest, most delightful confections, is based on the playwright's own experiences as a newlywed.Three bitesized acts follow paul and corrie bratter from nesting lovebirds making out by the door to neardivorce.In between, corrie's mother drinks ouzo and sleeps on rugs with the bohemian upstairs, while paul wanders barefoot in the park in the snowy, 17degree new york winter.
Goutman understands the charms of the play, especially the way that simon intended to show that couples might need to come up for air as they work out the
Pandora UK kinks of living together.Every scene with major action paul stomping around the apartment packing his suitcase, a hysterical corie demanding a divorce, messy drunks plopping off the sofa to the tune of albanian folk songs sparks like the first flowering of young love.
Costumes, from ulla doose, prove a mixed bag.Corie heads out to a misbegotten staten island dinner party in a smashing coat with big puffball tassels.She returns, pickled to the gills, singing into the puffs like a microphone.Kuffel wears a natty beret.
Todd potter's set captures oneroom living in new york, although the space he had to work with on the sugden stage is probably larger than many new york studio apartments.Steps give the illusion of depth and height, while the broken skylight looms large overhead.I loved the drifting snowfall to close the second act, as well as the glimpses of the nyc skyline, the hallway and plumbing through the other doors.One slight criticism:Reflections in the skylight and the windows often proved a distraction, making it seem like actors were moving in different directions.
The naples players opened 2013 with a solid, if unspectacular, production of winsome neil simon comedy"Barefoot in the park"Wednesday.Michael santos and tiffany clementi fought, giggled, threw shoes and more on the fifth floor of a crumbling brownstone with a hole in the skylight.
The naples players production of"Barefoot in the park"Moves in fits and starts.Director chris
pandora charms connecticut goutman, imported from new york, lifts some scenes to vibrant life but leaves others curiously flat.The 40minute first act drags like a bridal train, portending a long evening.
Goutman neglected an opportunity to truly make the play sing by relegating naples players veterans davis and val kuffel(Victor velasco)To secondary importance.Their characters, as much as paul and corie's, offer an important lesson on opening your heart(And mind)To new things.
Beyond the romantic fripperies and big apple real estate horrors(A fifthfloor walkup where the plumbing works in reverse? ), the show carries a slight, sweet understated message.Love means opening yourself up to compromise, be
Michael Kors Canada it accepting your husband's penchant for pressing his ties in the phone book or embracing your wife's desire to sing the tinkling tunes of tiran.
What santos does so well is breathe life into paul's actions.Every step across the threshold seems like he just ran a marathon, with santos hanging off the doorframe and gasping for breath(Five flights, six if you count the stoop)Will do that to anyone.When corie demands a divorce, paul cooly grabs a notepad and forces her to see the silliness of her actions.Watch for the moment santos carries a very drunk mrs.Banks(Diane davis)Into the apartment before collapsing in the kitchen.
Neither truly emerge from the background of the play despite the fact that simon wrote them as outlandish caricatures of an overbearing mother and the typical kooky new york neighbor.I would like to have seen both actors been given the freedom(Or direction)To broaden their characters and create indelible personalities that would have enlivened the play.
Midway through the second act, the show catches fire as shoes start flying only to droop again as emotions cool and conversations start again.Then, goutman, aided by simon's lovely dialogue, sends audiences out into the balmy southwest florida night on a tide of newlywed bliss.Much like marriage itself, the show feels frustrating, rocky, often impenetrable but also joyful, unabashedly brilliant and delightfully sweet.
But, oh, the notsoperiod leopard.Abominable leopardtrimmed boots for clementi make for a distraction
pandora bracelet canada in the first half as she scampers about the stage, while the pattern shows up again on davis(A hat and a cap)In the second half.Points to sound(And lights)Designer craig walck for opening the second half and the illfated dinner party with lesley gore's"It's my party. "
Conversations and the quieter moments fail to engage.Goutman's blocking and stage direction seems curiously inert, as if he simply asked the actors to"Wing it. "Characters just sit and talk, with the audience sitting and watching as the pace begins to drag.
MichaelSantoscaptivates as justmarried paul bratter.Santos(A newlywed himself)Shaved his longtime goatee for the role and brings a freshfaced, boyish, appeal to his uptight lawyer.Paul really does love corie even if he doesn't understand why
http://www.crecergroup.com/ they need to live in a oneroom fifth floor walkup with a hole in the skylight and a closet for a bedroom.
Naples players capture cute couple in 'barefoot in the park' naples daily news
Tiffany clementi works overtime to give ultrapeppy cheer to her corie.She suits the role, but i wish she had more onstage chemistry with both santos and davis.Her wideeyed, manic breakdown, where she calls paul a"Stuffed shirt"Represents the point where the play truly takes off.
Despite the faults,"Barefoot in the
Cheap Louis Vuitton Handbags park"Might be the naples players' best show in several seasons.Michael santos delivers a winning performance as a newlywed husband learning to take off his shoes and dive in, while tiffany clementi discovers the joys of ouzo and staten island.
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