*REVIEWED 02-12-10 PERFORMANCE

REVIEWED BY Laurie Lynn Lindemeier
ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

Directed by Danielle Beacham
Costume Design by Dan Nolen, Jr.
Lighting and Sound Design by Jason Leyva
Set Design by Danielle Beacham, Jason Leyva
Stage Manager, Cassondra Plybon
Producer, Dee Ann Blair

CAST:

Paul Bratter....................Shane Beeson
Corie Bratter…………………............Rachel Dee
Ethel Banks (Corie's Mom)......…Barbara Richardson
Victor Velasco..................Carlos Ayala
Telephone Repair Man……….........Bob Willey
Delivery Man……………..…............Dan Johnston

_______________________BAREFOOT IN THE PARK______________________

REVIEWED by Laurie Lynn Lindemeier
ASSOCIATE THEATRE CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

I did not walk barefoot in the park, however, I did trudge through the snow in
heels to the Artisan Center Theatre on Friday night. Despite my cold ankles, I
did thoroughly enjoy their double cast production of Neil Simon's "Barefoot in
the Park."

Finding the theatre on a snowy night by following the little blue dot on my I
Phone proved to be a challenge--I ended up in the parking lot of a nearby
apartment complex. However, finding the heart and soul of the characters in
A.C.T.'s performance of Neil Simon's romantic comedy was not the least bit
challenging.

All of the actors in this community theatre's performance took Mr. Simon's
widely performed play to a lovely level of freshness and sincerity--no weak
links in the chain.

Creating an original interpretation of this commonly performed play could have
been a challenge; however, this company was certainly up for it.

From the outside, the strip mall theatre location could look almost like a donut
shop, yet, upon entering the small theatre in the round one is pleasantly
surprised. The set, lighting and sound were well done and the acoustics perfect
for the intimate performance.

Mother Nature even accommodated us with the white fluffy stuff to help with the
winter in New York atmosphere.

A little less snow on the ankles, please, Mother Nature. This theatre troupe
didn't need your help to bring authenticity to this performance. The level of
acting skill was quite sufficient to thoroughly please this critic even though I
had to fight not to join Paul, played by Shane Beeson, on his sourpuss attitude
about walking barefoot in the park. My feet unthawed by the second act.

In the opening scene, Paul's wife, Corie, played Rachel Dee, flitted about the
stage with newlywed zeal. Her Pollyanna attitude in the beginning of the play
contrasted nicely with her flaming disgust as the show progressed when her
husband hardly noticed her modeling a pale blue nightie. Instead Paul prepared
for his court case the next day while standing in their closet-size bedroom.

Mr. Beeson, Paul, did loosen up nicely as the story progressed with his
hilarious drunken portrayal scene which helped the audience believe that there
is hope for the stick in the mud people who insist on focusing an inordinate
amount of time on that mundane make-a-living activity.

Mr. Beeson's portrayal of the young ambitious lawyer, Paul Bratter, certainly
was spot on. The play is set in the 1960's, yet not much has changed in today's
world and the never ending drive demanded of young husbands to make a
respectable living.

Nonetheless, it was fun to hear Corie's mother- Ethel's advice that would not be
quite as popular with the feminists of today: "Take care of him and make him
feel important. And if you can do that, you'll have a happy and wonderful
marriage. Like two out of ten couples."

Barbara Richardson portrayed Ethel, Corie's protective mother. When Corie
arranged a blind date for her mother with the bizarre yet intriguing upstairs
neighbor, Victor Velasco, Ethel tried in vain to resist his advances. Yet, Mr.
Velasco's accent and exuding foreign charm wooed the lonely widow. The audience
roared when after a night with Mr. Velasco, Ethel realized she no longer knew
the location of her clothes as she stood donned in Mr. Velasco's robe and
slippers.

The great playwright Neil Simon delivered, and the audience was thoroughly
entertained by many masterful lines such as: "I feel like we've died and gone to
heaven only we had to climb up." Yet, subtle life lessons about unconditional
love and sacrificing one's own needs for your loved one, floated down upon us
like the cold draft in the broken sky loft of the newlywed's sixth floor
apartment.

Take your sweetheart for a late Valentine gift to this heartwarming performance.
The play, masterfully directed by Danielle Beacham, closes on February 27th.

REVIEWED by Laurie Lynn Lindemeier
ASSOCIATE THEATRE CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

________________________________________________________________

BAREFOOT IN THE PARK
Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Through February 27 at the Artisan Center Theatre, 418 Pipeline Road, Hurst, TX,
76053

Ticket prices $7–16; www.artisanct.com for more information.