Barefoot in the Park Opens UW Summer Festival

June 1, 2005 -- The University of Wyoming's 2005 Snowy Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival launches the summer season with Neil Simon's beloved comedy, "Barefoot in the Park," June 7 through 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Studio Theatre. Tickets cost $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens, and $10 for others. For tickets and information call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

One of Simon's earliest and most successful hits, "Barefoot in the Park," directed by Wolf J. Sherrill, follows the trials and tribulations of young newlyweds Paul and Corrie Bratter. They begin their life together in the Big Apple, finding out more than they ever wanted to know about themselves in the process.

All is well with the Bratters during their six-day honeymoon. But sparks fly as Paul and Corrie set up house in the expensive, leaky walk-up apartment Corrie has chosen for them on the sixth floor of an old brownstone. Not only is the place unfurnished and tiny, but the endless flights of stairs to the apartment leave the Bratters and visitors alike out of breath and on the verge of collapse.

"'Barefoot in the Park' is a wonderful roller coaster ride of a comedy," says director Sherrill, assistant professor of acting at UW. "It's a study of what makes opposites attract and human nature hilarious."

Peppered with Simon's rapid-fire dialogue and poignant treatment of human nature, "Barefoot in the Park" has played almost continuously around the country since its Broadway debut in 1963. The play has inspired many other comedies, including the recent TV series "Dharma and Greg" and "Will and Grace."

Posted on Wednesday, June 01, 2005