 |
| Dan Ashlock, Barbara McBain, Jacqueline Anderson, and Gustavo Flores photo by Renee Ashlock |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 8th.
"One of Neil Simon's first big comedy hits, Barefoot in the Park, just opened at Desert Stages Theatre's Actor's Café in their new space in the Scottsdale Fashion Square. While Simon's comedy is a dated affair, set in the 1960s, it still makes for a mildly amusing comedy of newlyweds learning to adjust to married life. DST's cast provides the requisite amount of lunacy, though not all of the jokes land squarely...Simon's dialogue is sharp and witty, and realistic for the 1960s, though by today's standards the way it deals with marital responsibilities is very dated and the jokes don't quite have the punch as some of Simon's later works. While DST's cast have the accurate cadence and tone for Simon's period dialogue, not all of the cast are adept in instilling the punch lines with the right amount of subtlety and inflection to elicit more than a chuckle. Jacqueline Anderson is great as the carefree, flighty, spirited and chatty Corie while Gustavo Flores is suitably serious and slightly intense as Paul. ...As Corie's mom Mrs. Banks, Barbara McBain never misses a beat, with excellent facial expressions, body gestures, and vocal inflections to ensure every comic moment lands. As the oddball neighbor Victor, Dan Ashlock is appropriately bohemian and a bit randy, and Dakota Erickson, who is in two brief scenes as a telephone repairman, gets the best joke in the show. Director Gary Zaro stages the action nicely...I only wish Zaro had been able to instill a bit more pay off for some of the humorous set ups that don't quite deliver big laughs... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
No comments:
Post a Comment
In order to avoid spam, comments will be moderated. Anonymous comments no longer will be allowed. If your comment is from an actual person it will be approved and posted in a timely manner.