Playwright Neil Simon once explained his personal view of creativity: “If no one ever took risks, Michaelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.” Had the Vatican venture been thus grounded, Mike would have stained his Sketchers, but suffered not the mauve in the macula and four years on a scaffold at the behest of Pope Julius II.
The Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities (CLOSBC) production of Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” runs now through Jan. 30 at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse. Though perhaps not as artistically deep – or high – as the chapel in Rome, in theater terms it’s Simon’s “Last Supper.” I know; I’m mixing my artists here, but da Vinci and Mike must have shared an espresso or two at Starbuck’s while perorating pigments. “You’re painting WHAT?” asked Leonardo as he modeled a helicopter from the stir sticks.
Simon’s four (and a half) actor observation of newlywed life in New York is his longest-running Broadway show (1,530 performances), and he’s had more than a pocketful of hits in the past 50 years. In 1966, during the “Barefoot” run, he also had three other shows on Broadway stages – “Sweet Charity,” “The Star-Spangled Girl,” and “The Odd Couple.” He could easily afford the rent on his Central Park West apartment.
Wedded bliss
“Barefoot” visits the lives of Paul (Patrick Vest) and Corie Bratter (Barbara Suiter) during the weeks immediately following their wedding. Paul’s a stick-in-the-mud attorney and Corie likes to run barefoot in the park. Herein lies the rub, though most would think such conflict in personalities might have been apparent before the nuptials. “You’re very nearly perfect,” says Corie, accusingly, to her new husband. “That’s a rotten thing to say,” Paul replies.
Corie’s mom, Ethel (Yvonne Robertson), is predictably meddlesome until she meets the Bratters’ upstairs neighbor, Victor Velasco (Ted Escobar). A relationship between the two supporting characters develops, along with typical Simon-esque repartee.
Upon visiting the couple’s tiny and still unfurnished not so lofty loft, Ethel quips, “You’ll have a wonderful marriage; like two out of every 10 couples.” In an effort to escape the claustrophobic confines, she excuses herself by saying that she must be on her way because “I have a 10 o’clock dentist appointment tomorrow morning at 9.”
Upon meeting neighbor Victor, Corie plays matchmaker, and a night out for the four includes several rounds of ouzo. The libation and the charms of Victor overcome mother. Paul, later lamenting his drunkenness, confesses to Corie that “My teeth feel soft.” Such is the fun of the script.
Selling tickets
Ted Escobar (Victor) has a day job when he’s not onstage; he’s general manager of CLOSBC and deals with tickets and parking and schedules and contracts and all things not artistic. For the next couple weeks, he’s allowing others to answer the phones. As a side note, Escobar is coordinating a new ticketing system which is currently in place for both the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and the Hermosa Beach Playhouse. The online booking process – Vendini.com – allows patrons to select their seats when they purchase tickets.
The Hawthorne, Calif., native is no stranger to the works of Neil Simon. “I’ve done ‘Plaza Suite,’ ‘Odd Couple,’ some bits from ‘Star-Spangled Girl,’ but I’ve never had the chance to do ‘Goodbye Girl,’ which is one of my favorites,” said Escobar. “I’d love to see somebody stage ‘Murder by Death’ because very few people know that it’s Neil Simon.”
Has CLOSBC done any Simon in the past? “We did ‘Chapter Two’ in Hermosa about six or seven years ago, but I think that’s about it,” said Escobar.
Regarding rehearsals and the voluminous script which must be digested by the Paul and Corie characters, Escobar said, “The line load for those two is huge, but everyone is doing well. I was really surprised; with the first rehearsal, we already had the first act, as far as lines.”
The show is in three acts and the set is sparse, said Escobar. “The first act, which is fairly short, is basically done on a bare stage. They’re just moving into their apartment, which is six flights up. Then, we close for intermission and return to the set and the apartment is fully furnished.
“Talk about a challenge! We have about 15 minutes to completely dress the stage, which will be interesting,” he said.
Escobar is high on this show. As for future endeavors, “I just look at the season and think of what might be right for me,” he said. There’s some show about a young, classical composer that CLOSBC is supposedly trying to land for next season which has a spicy role Escobar said interests him.
No whining in theater
CLOSBC Artistic Director Stephanie Coltrin directs this production. She hosts a couple newcomers to CLOSBC: Barbara Suiter (Corie), and Patrick Vest (Paul). Coltrin worked with Vest last summer in Shakespeare by the Sea productions, “so I know Patrick very well.”
In addition to the four main characters, there is a small, sometimes overlooked part being performed by Cylan Brown. He is the “phone guy” who helps move the story along with appearances both early and late in the show.
As for the many lines for which characters Paul and Corie are responsible, Coltrin said the principals received their scripts well before rehearsals and had the words committed before the first gathering of the cast. “They were in good shape already when we started,” said Coltrin. “They both have great instincts and they share a good chemistry with all that Simon back-and-forth repartee.”
The lead of Corie Bratter has been portrayed in several different ways since Simon introduced the show in 1963. “I’ve seen her done in many ways, and usually she’s a little whiny for my taste. But I think there is a strength in her, given that she takes off her shoes and walks through Washington Park barefoot in February. (In our production) we’re kinda walking the line with Corie, and with Paul, also; when they’re actually whining, when they are angry, when they are backing off. We’re trying to be very specific about all of that.”
Regarding the directorial practice that Neil Simon’s lines are not to be altered, Coltrin said, “It’s funny, because when Barbara (Suiter) came in to rehearsals she had a copy of the script that looked like it was from the ‘60s. I thought, this should be interesting, but we only found one line that was changed. So, once he (Simon) says ‘It’s set,’ it’s set.”
Perhaps this is the origination of Simon Says.
‘Barefoot in the Park,’ Hermosa Beach Playhouse, 710 Pier Ave. at PCH. Preview tonight with opening tomorrow. Regular Schedule: Tues. through Sat. at 8 p.m. Sunday Matinees: Jan. 23 & Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Sunday Evening: Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. Closes Sun., Jan 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $35 – $45, may be purchased by calling 310-372-4477 or be visiting www.hermosabeachplayhouse.com. ER
