Newlywed fame
When “Barefoot in the Park,” the comedy of two naïve newlyweds, debuted on Broadway in 1963, it catapulted three careers into stardom:
“Robert Redford, the male lead, previously known for small TV roles.
“Mike Nichols, the director, previously known as half of a comedy duo.
“Neil Simon, the playwright, previously known for some TV work and one earlier play.
Redford and Nichols went on to international acclaim and Oscar glory. Yet a case could easily be made that Simon went on to have the most amazing career of all.
Simon went on to win a Pulitzer Prize (for “Lost in Yonkers”) and became the rarest species in all of theater: A playwright who’s also a household name.
That’s what happens when you’re responsible for several of the most popular comedies of the last half of the 20th century, including, just to name a few, “The Odd Couple,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Plaza Suite,” and “Biloxi Blues.”
But it all started with “Barefoot in the Park,” which opens at the Spokane Civic Theatre tonight. Yvonne A.K. Johnson directs a cast which features Paul Villabrille and Danae M. Lowman as the newlyweds.
Paul Bratter, a young lawyer on the rise, and Corie Bratter, his bubbly and spontaneous young bride, have just finished their honeymoon. Then the real world intrudes. They live in a sixth floor apartment without an elevator. They have a meddling in-law and a bohemian neighbor. Corie thinks Paul needs to loosen up and go running barefoot in the park. Meanwhile, Corie devotes her energies to decorating the apartment and keeping her new husband happy.
“In a way, she’s the type of woman who doesn’t exist anymore,” said Johnson. “I suggest that you try to put yourself back in time when watching this play.”
Yet it’s a play that has retained its popularity into the 21st century. Johnson said it’s on the Top Ten list of most-produced community theater plays since 2000.
“Barefoot” was the play that established Simon once and for all as Broadway’s snappiest writer of one-liners. It was also the beginning of Simon’s incredibly successful collaboration with Nichols, who went on to win best director Tony Awards for “The Odd Couple,” “Plaza Suite,” and “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.” He also directed the movie version of “Biloxi Blues.”
Actually, it all really started for Simon in the 1950s, when he worked as a young writer for Sid Caesar on a team that also included Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart and Mel Brooks. He first hit Broadway with 1961’s “Come Blow Your Horn.” It was a success, but nowhere near the sensation that was 1963’s “Barefoot in the Park.” It ran for 1,530 performances – halfway into 1967 – a ridiculously long time for a non-musical.
The star power was clearly one of the draws. Redford and Elizabeth Ashley had loads of charm as the newlyweds. Ashley won a Tony for her performance, and Redford won a role in the 1967 movie version opposite a young Jane Fonda. Two years later, Redford would become the Sundance Kid.
“Barefoot in the Park” established what would become the enduring Simon trademarks: A New York setting, a rat-a-tat series of one-liners, a great deal of comic kvetching and an overall theme of average people taking on life’s multiple aggravations with (mostly) good humor.
The Civic’s cast, in addition to Villabrille and Lowman, includes Brian Lambert, Peter Hardie, Jean Hardie and Robert Wamsley.