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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2016)
OCTOBER 6, 2016 // 11 Continued from Pg. 10 A romantic comedy, “Barefoot in the Park” opens Friday, Oct. 7 for a three-week run at Astoria’s home for comedy, the Astor Street Opry Company. The plot is a simple one, like most Simon plays (two dissimilar men become roommates; a man sublets an apartment and inds it occupied by a woman and her precocious teenage daughter, etc.). What makes the play is Simon’s spirited dialogue and witty repartee. Here is the nutshell version of “Barefoot in the Park”: Newlyweds Corie and Paul move into their irst apartment. Corie is an impetuous ro- mantic, while Paul is a conservative, even stuffy young attorney more intent on his career than on continuing the honeymoon. This leads to the obvious conlicts, complicated by a double date with Corie’s widowed mother and their eccen- tric neighbor, Victor (known as “The Bluebeard of 48th Street”). The couple decides to divorce. They ight over the settlement. Corie’s mother and Bluebeard ind true love. Corie and Paul rec- oncile and promise to live happily ever after. Would that Simon had written a sequel to this improbable plot, but he didn’t. Redford will not reprise his Broadway role — he’s a little old for the part — but local favorite Ben VanOsdol plays Paul with Alicea Settlemoire as Corie. E FO O T R A B ‘ “Barefoot” has a small cast, just ARK’ ive actors, which makes it IN THE P rday, Oct. 7, atu perfect for local productions. In “Barefoot in the Park,” Corie sets her mother, Ethel, played by Neen Drage, left, up on a date with her ec- day and S 7 p.m. Fri , 15, 21 and 22 Neen Drage plays Ethel Banks, centric neighbor, Victor, played by Jason Hippert. 8, 14 6 1 Corie’s loopy mother, and t. c O , nday Jason Hippert is Victor. Nate 2 p.m. Su house pany Play m o C y r Bucholz rounds out the cast as p et O Astor Stre , Astoria the telephone repairman. . Bond St. W 9 2 1 The problem with doing 6104 503-325- “Barefoot” is that it has such a stellar history that producing $7 to $16 the play can be intimidating. This doesn’t seem to apply to our local talent. The Astor Street Opry Company gave Lisa Fergus, who usually directs at Can- non Beach’s Coaster Theatre, the opportunity to choose the show she would direct, and there was no doubt in her mind. She acknowledges that Mike Nichols’ are “big shoes to ill,” but, “It’s a show I have always loved,” she says. “Barefoot” is set in the 1960s, and if that were all there was to the play it would be dated, but as Fergus says, “The opposites attract relationship is a theme that is pretty timeless.” The ASOC production will have, “a different spin from the movie, a bit more true-to-life, a more modern twist” to the story line. “I was lucky to get a top-of-the-line group of actors,” Fergus says. “They are really personify- ing their characters. It’s fun to work with a new group, with new dynamics. I’m having the time of my life.” And so will you. Check out one of Neil Si- Free-spirited Corie, played by Alicea Settlemoir, right, wants her Jason Hippert, right, plays Victor, the eccentric neighbor of newly- mon’s greatest hits and be prepared to laugh and stufy lawyer husband, Paul, played by Ben VanOsdol, to be more weds Paul and Corie, played by Alicea Settlemoir, in the Astor Street clap. spontaneous in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park.” Opry Company’s production of “Barefoot in the Park.”
