- Barefoot in the Park
.
Its focus is on newlywed couple Corie and Paul Bratter, who are setting up house in a minuscule fifth-floor walkup apartment in a downtown-
Manhattan brownstone. Paul is a straight-laced attorney, Corie a far more spontaneous free spirit. The two must contend with a lack of heat, a skylight with a gaping hole, several long flights of stairs, oddball neighbor Victor Velasco, and Corie's well-meaning mother, in addition to adjusting to married life.The play, a comedy inspired by the early days of Simon's marriage at the time, was the
playwright 's third effort, following the comedy "Come Blow Your Horn " and less successful musical "Little Me ", and his first major hit.After two previews, the Broadway production, directed by
Mike Nichols , opened onOctober 23 1963 at theBiltmore Theatre , where it ran for 1530 performances, making it Simon's longest running show. The cast includedRobert Redford as Paul,Elizabeth Ashley as Corie,Mildred Natwick as Mrs. Banks,Kurt Kasznar as Velasco, andHerb Edelman as a telephone installer. Replacements later in the run includedRobert Reed and Tony Roberts as Paul,Penny Fuller andJoan van Ark as Corie,Ilka Chase ,Eileen Heckart , andSylvia Sidney as Mrs. Banks, andJules Munshin as Velasco.Nichols won the
Tony Award for Best Director of a Play, and nominations went to Simon for Best Play, Ashley for Best Actress in a Play, and Saint Subber for Best Producer of a Play.After 26 previews, a Broadway revival directed by Scott Elliott opened on
February 16 2006 at theCort Theatre , where it ran for 109 performances. The cast included Patrick Wilson as Paul,Amanda Peet as Corie,Jill Clayburgh as Mrs. Banks, and Tony Roberts as Velasco. Efforts to contemporize the characters clashed with the addition of a decidedly 1960s soundtrack featuring tunes byPetula Clark and theByrds , among others, and the critics found it to be dated and lacking humor.Adaptations
The play served as the inspiration for a short-lived 1966 ABC sitcom entitled "
Love on a Rooftop ". Although its source wasn't credited, the series about a newlywed couple living in a small, windowless, top-floor apartment clearly had its roots in Simon's work.Simon adapted his play for a 1967 feature film, starring Redford and
Jane Fonda , directed byGene Saks .In September 1970, ABC launched two series based on Simon plays, "The Odd Couple" and "Barefoot in the Park". The latter, one of the first to employ an
African-American cast (includingNipsey Russell andThelma Carpenter ), was cancelled after thirteen episodes. A 1980 HBO telecast starred Richard Thomas as Paul,Bess Armstrong as Corie,Barbara Barrie as Mrs. Banks, andHans Conreid as Velasco.During the third season of
Dawson's Creek , the character of Pacey starred in a high school adaptation of the play in the lead role, with Andie directing.External links
* [http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=1844 Internet Broadway Database listing]
* [http://stageagent.com/Shows/View/870 Plot summary & character descriptions from StageAgent.com]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065276/ TV series at the Internet Movie Database]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/theater/reviews/17park.html New York Times review of the 2006 revival]
* [http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/b/barefoot-in-the-park-script.html Entire Dialogue Transcript on Script-o-Rama]
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