Yellow Pages
Attractive actors, witty Neil Simon dialog and a lesson about different people learning to live together.
Even after 40 years, “Barefoot in the Park” still has the power to charm, especially when performed by an engaging cast such as the one assembled for Anacortes Community Theatre’s production, which opens Friday.
At the center of the play is Taylor Goldstein as Corrie Bratter, a new bride who has embarked on the greatest adventure of her life. Ready to fly, she is delighted with the lofty but humble sixth-floor love nest she has rented for herself and new husband, Paul. She’s not worried about things like lack of heat, a hole in the skylight and the late arrival of their furniture.
Ryan George is Paul, her much more grounded other half. A rising young lawyer, he struggles with all the flights of stairs and worries about where he will be able to work on his first case.
Corrie’s mother Ethel, played by Karen McCallum, is a lot like Paul. She’s so stiff she sleeps on a board, but she has a good heart, adores her daughter and wants her to be happy.
Stirring things up is Malcolm Taylor as Victor Velasco, a neighbor who lives in the attic above the Bratters. A bit of a shady character, he’s known as the Bluebeard of the neighborhood. He begins introducing the couple — particularly the eager Corrie — to the diverse cultures and cuisines of the city.
Goldstein shines as the quirky Corrie. She’s so engaging it’s easy to see why the others tolerate all those stairs and various discomforts to be with her. George is good as well, making his uptight character likable — even young Robert Redford managed to be irritating as Paul, as he complained his way through the film version.
There are bumps, which is natural with people who are so different. But the characters in the play show that with commitment and determination, there is hope they will grow together rather than apart.
