Barefoot in the Park
Tue, 11 Feb 2003, 06:20 pmWalter Plinge2 posts in thread
Barefoot in the Park
Tue, 11 Feb 2003, 06:20 pmWHAT: Barefoot in the Park
WHEN: Saturday, Feb 8 (2003)
WHERE: Marloo Theatre, Darlington (WA)
It seems I can't go to the theatre these days without someone asking if I'm going to put a review on the webpage (Hi Nerida!) Not that I mind - my ego can take it.
Yet another Neil Simon play. I must have seen more of his stuff in the past twelve months than I have at any time previously. I presume this was one of his earlier plays - partly because the characters were discussing renting an apartment in New York for $125 a month (!), and partly because the plot was very straightforward. Newlyweds Corie & Paul move into their first apartment and almost immediately start feuding. A subplot follows Corie's attempts to matchmake her mother with their new neighbour.
That's about it. Knowing Neil Simon, it's probably loosely adapted from his own experiences. Interesting then that Corie is portrayed as the fickle one ("I love you." "I want a divorce." "I love you."), while Paul is simply trying to work hard to pay off their debts (insert violin music here).
It was obvious that (non-American) Lisa Skrypichayko (Corie) had worked hard to perfect an American accent. She was clearly having enormous fun with the flighty role - one minute hugging, kissing and... well, I understand Lisa's husband hasn't seen the show yet, so we don't want to give too much away..., and the next minute shouting, screaming and wailing. You'd feel sorry for Corie's apparent bipolar disorder if the script wasn't so clearly written for laughs. And many laughs there were to be had, too.
Far from being overshadowed by Lisa's bravura performance, Adrian Wood (Paul) stood his ground playing "the sensible one". A solid portrayal opposite Lisa's more emotional one, resulting in a very nice pairing with neither upstaging the other. There's no doubt in the audience's mind that at the end of the play these two are going to end up in each other's arms (especially since the programme gives a two-page summary of the entire play), but watching the rollercoaster ride is great fun.
Barbara Bain played Corie's mother (Mrs Banks) while Norm Faraday played Bohemian neighbour and gourmet chef, Mr Velasco. Fairly one-dimensionally written, the very prim-and-proper mother-in-law and the flamboyant-yet-penniless neighbour are polar opposites: he the Casanova, she the rabbit in the headlights. Naturally she emerges from his apartment the very next morning.... Undemanding comedy. Lots of good, solid laughs - some of them striking very close to home in the age-old Battle of the Sexes.
Marloo Theatre can get a little warm, but hopefully never again as warm as it was last Saturday. More kudos for the cast then, performing a snowy New York winter's play. Rugged up in overcoats, scarves and furs, I don't know how they kept going with their hilarious, energetic performances, but congratulations all the same.
It's a long way from Joondalup to Darlington, but worth every drop of petrol to see the gorgeous Lisa Skrypichayko strip down to her lingerie on stage. (I don't know if that was in the script, or whether it was just too damn hot - either way, I'm not complaining.) Six more performances over this week and the next. If you can't make it, just ask someone to send you a copy of the programme. :-)
JB
WHEN: Saturday, Feb 8 (2003)
WHERE: Marloo Theatre, Darlington (WA)
It seems I can't go to the theatre these days without someone asking if I'm going to put a review on the webpage (Hi Nerida!) Not that I mind - my ego can take it.
Yet another Neil Simon play. I must have seen more of his stuff in the past twelve months than I have at any time previously. I presume this was one of his earlier plays - partly because the characters were discussing renting an apartment in New York for $125 a month (!), and partly because the plot was very straightforward. Newlyweds Corie & Paul move into their first apartment and almost immediately start feuding. A subplot follows Corie's attempts to matchmake her mother with their new neighbour.
That's about it. Knowing Neil Simon, it's probably loosely adapted from his own experiences. Interesting then that Corie is portrayed as the fickle one ("I love you." "I want a divorce." "I love you."), while Paul is simply trying to work hard to pay off their debts (insert violin music here).
It was obvious that (non-American) Lisa Skrypichayko (Corie) had worked hard to perfect an American accent. She was clearly having enormous fun with the flighty role - one minute hugging, kissing and... well, I understand Lisa's husband hasn't seen the show yet, so we don't want to give too much away..., and the next minute shouting, screaming and wailing. You'd feel sorry for Corie's apparent bipolar disorder if the script wasn't so clearly written for laughs. And many laughs there were to be had, too.
Far from being overshadowed by Lisa's bravura performance, Adrian Wood (Paul) stood his ground playing "the sensible one". A solid portrayal opposite Lisa's more emotional one, resulting in a very nice pairing with neither upstaging the other. There's no doubt in the audience's mind that at the end of the play these two are going to end up in each other's arms (especially since the programme gives a two-page summary of the entire play), but watching the rollercoaster ride is great fun.
Barbara Bain played Corie's mother (Mrs Banks) while Norm Faraday played Bohemian neighbour and gourmet chef, Mr Velasco. Fairly one-dimensionally written, the very prim-and-proper mother-in-law and the flamboyant-yet-penniless neighbour are polar opposites: he the Casanova, she the rabbit in the headlights. Naturally she emerges from his apartment the very next morning.... Undemanding comedy. Lots of good, solid laughs - some of them striking very close to home in the age-old Battle of the Sexes.
Marloo Theatre can get a little warm, but hopefully never again as warm as it was last Saturday. More kudos for the cast then, performing a snowy New York winter's play. Rugged up in overcoats, scarves and furs, I don't know how they kept going with their hilarious, energetic performances, but congratulations all the same.
It's a long way from Joondalup to Darlington, but worth every drop of petrol to see the gorgeous Lisa Skrypichayko strip down to her lingerie on stage. (I don't know if that was in the script, or whether it was just too damn hot - either way, I'm not complaining.) Six more performances over this week and the next. If you can't make it, just ask someone to send you a copy of the programme. :-)
JB