Barefoot In The Park
Director: Kerrin White
Adelaide Rep
Season closed



'Barefoot In The Park' was a huge hit in New York in 1963 when it was nominated for a Tony and played 1500 times across nearly four years. Breathtakingly simple, Neil Simon might have written this romantic comedy on the back of an envelope on his way to another awards dinner, and added the one-liners, quips and comebacks later.

Five floors up in a tiny brownstone apartment, a newlyweds' trials are aided and abetted by the mother-in-law and an eccentric neighbour: the stuff of sit-com nightmares.

Director Kerrin White wisely kept the action in the early '60s and signified the time most recognisably in the presentation of young wife Corrie Bratter. You would have to play it historically with mother-to-daughter advice like how you have to give up a piece of yourself to serve your husband, and to see how easy it is to marry somebody who's funny when they're drunk and mistake that for how they are all the time.

White instructed his cast to be lively and bright and they were - a good thing, because the lack of drive in the narrative puts all the pressure on comic timing and personality, but even still, things moved a little slowly at times. James Antonas as the exasperated husband, Mr Bratter, put in a great performance capped by the aforementioned funny drunk scene near the end of Act II. Either Alison Scharber didn't quite get it - too much thinking and not enough feeling (although her Mrs Batter was also a happy drunk) - or no-one could possibly master the ridiculously razor sharp mood changes Neil Simon gave her to perform.

Brian Knott played a character that, while "not liking generalities", had a most unlocatable accent - somewhere between Estonia and Romania. Nonetheless, the audacity and cheek of his Victor Velasco was more than matched by his charm, and it was easy to see how even a fuddy-duddy like Mrs Banks might fall for him given time. Rhonda Grill planted each line firmly and showed genuinely what a good sport Mrs Banks was. Paul Rodda waltzed in a couple of times as the telephone repairman and provided a warm and understanding view of the proceedings. And last, but certainly not least, Barry Hill wheezed his way through an otherwise silent walk-in role and was first-in best-dressed on the too-many-stairs running joke.

Although director Kerrin White's soufflŽ didn't quite rise - and perhaps the recipe is a little old hat - all the ingredients for a decent night of light entertainment were served.

David Grybowski