Front Row Reviewers

Feb 23, 2018 | Theater Reviews, Utah County

Provo Covey Center’s Barefoot in the Park Will Lift Your Spirit and Feed Your Soul

Front Row Reviewers

Front Row Reviewers

By McKenna Johnson

I love a play that has thematic depth but doesn’t induce three days of sobbing, and the Provo Covey Center’s Barefoot in the Park is such a production. Entertaining, substantial, and witty, this Neil Simon romantic comedy had both me and my boyfriend continually laughing.

The play tells the story of newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter (Sierra Christensen and TJ Thomas), who are intoxicated by their hormonal chemistry but ignorant of how to navigate their personality differences. As reality sets in after the honeymoon, Corie and Paul each learn that the other’s attractive traits can also be infuriating.

The play takes place in the Brinton Black Box of the Covey Center on Provo’s Center Street. I didn’t have issues finding parking close to the theatre, but the area tends to have traffic and crowds, so give yourself some extra time to find a space. The folding chairs in the Brinton were deceptively comfortable, and the seats are close enough to the set that seeing the action isn’t hard.

The audience seats are set in tiers, with a step leading up to each tier, so audience members with wheelchairs, walkers, and so forth are best off talking to the staff in advance. I’d also caution playgoers to be careful on the steps.

In Thursday’s post-show discussion, Director Robinne Booth said that one of her goals was for people to laugh and have a good time, and she certainly succeeded. Each actor does a fantastic job, and the audience laughed throughout the play.

Throughout the play, Christensen’s movement is fluid and natural, capturing Corie’s sunny outlook and bubbly charm. While the delivery of some early lines struck me as a bit affected, Christensen melds into the role quickly and leads the audience smoothly through Corie’s character arc.

From the beginning, Thomas’s mastery of sarcastic wit animate Paul and help flesh out his character. While I found some movements and facial expressions during the first act a bit too exaggerated for an audience so close to the stage, Thomas’s antics during later scenes are hilarious, and I was impressed by the transformation Thomas took Paul through.

Over the course of the play and the considerable changes in the main characters’ relationship, the connection between Corie and Paul remains authentic and relatable. Both actors convey the comedic childishness and contradiction of their arguments while maintaining the undercurrent of love that runs between the characters.

The secondary characters are no less credibly portrayed. If you enjoy scenes of Downton Abbey that feature Dame Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, then you’ll delight in Booth’s interpretation of Mrs. Banks, Corie’s mother. Booth’s tone and expression communicate both love and passive aggression—much to the audience’s glee.

While I find Victor Valasco (Lon Keith) as a character creepy, Keith makes him human and even likable in the same way that Alan Rickman won audience members to Team Snape. Keith’s previous experience with the role shows: he is the actor I had the most trouble differentiating from the character. The fusion is seamless.

The two unnamed characters, Telephone Repair Man and Delivery Man, are played by Kevin Peterson and Paul Duerden, respectively. Peterson sets much of the play’s comedic mood with his ability to quickly connect to the audience and make people laugh. Duerden exemplifies how a minor character can play a well-developed role; he adds more to the play than plot development without commandeering his scene, and he doesn’t even need to speak to do so.
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The set exemplifies the 1960s. The production designers, Pam Davis and John Cluff, included not only a mildly horrifying number of orange pillows but also period-appropriate appliances. In fact, my boyfriend commented that the set’s stove is the same model as the one in his grandmother’s house.

Nancy Cannon’s costume design was particularly fun to watch, as the wardrobe not only includes period-specific items like go-go boots but also expresses each character’s personality. For example, Corie’s wardrobe is fashionable and bright, and the colors complement Christensen’s individual features, such as her skin tone, so that Christensen and Corie are one and the same.

Meanwhile, Paul’s wardrobe could have been inspired by Mike Brady. It establishes Paul as a 1960s man who cares about appearances but doesn’t spend much time thinking about his ideal color palette.

The icing on the cake was the recipe for knichi available along with the programs. Knichi, an hors d’oeurve invented for Barefoot in the Park, is an eel dish, and my boyfriend and I may make it sometime so we can eat it with a “pop,” which is an eating requirement, according to Velasco.

Barefoot in the Park is appropriate for general audiences, and the children 8 and older are allowed. The children at my showing seemed to have a lot of fun. However, because the topic of sex is sometimes an elephant on the stage, parents bringing children who might pick up on this should be prepared to answer questions about what couples do on a honeymoon.

The play is presented as it was originally performed, so playgoers should also be aware that the script was written in the 1960s and contains some elements that modern audiences may be uncomfortable with and may need to contextualize for children. In addition to Velasco’s inappropriate passes at Corie in one scene, the play contains some assumptions about women’s roles that today’s Americans don’t necessarily hold and some racially offensive comments, such as one about “living like Gypsies.”

Barefoot in the Park is a fun play that beats any romantic comedy on Netflix. Get your post Valentine romance game on with this fun production.

 Covey Center for the Arts Presents Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon
Covey Center for the Arts, 425 Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
February 22–24, 26; March 1–3, 5, 8–12, 15–17 7:30–9:30 PM.
Tickets: $14–$16
Contact: 801-852-7007
Covey Center for the Arts Facebook Page
Barefoot in the Park Facebook Event 

Front Row Reviewers

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