Lighten up weekends with romantic comedy

PANAMA CITY — More than 50 years after it won over Broadway audiences, Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” continues to entertain, amuse and melt hearts.

Gulf Coast State College’s Division of Visual and Performing Arts will present six performances of “Barefoot in the Park” over the next two weekends, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, 11 and 12; and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6 and 13. The play will be on the main stage at the college’s Amelia Center Theatre.

“I think Neil Simon gets a little bit of a bum rap,” said director Jason Hedden, associate professor of Theatre. “Maybe because he’s a comedy writer, (but) he has received more Oscar and Tony nominations than any writer of any genre. … Nobody really crafts a joke for the stage like Neil Simon. It’s like volleyball: set and spike. If that set’s not right, then that joke is not going to land.”

>>See behind the scenes video of a rehearsal of 'Barefoot in the Park'<<

The romantic comedy originally premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was adapted to film in 1967, starring Redford with Jane Fonda. The story follows newlywed couple Corie and Paul Bratter, who begin learning to live together in their first home, an apartment on the top floor of a New York City brownstone.

The title comes from Corrie’s wish for Paul to lighten up and run “barefoot in the park.”

“It’s a very wordy play,” joked Charis Sellick, 18, the GCSC student who plays Corie. “There’s a lot of lines and a lot of props. … The biggest challenge has been constantly listening to each other, so we know what we’re saying and not just, ‘oh, I know that line.’”

Hedden remarked that, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard,” quoting the last words attributed to the great English actor Edmund Kean. Austin Davis, who plays Paul, seemed to agree. He said the speed of a double-take or the tone of a line reading can mean the difference between the audience’s laughter and a terrible silence.

“It’s about getting a formula and implementing it in the rest of the play,” said Davis, 18, a GCSC freshman.

General admission is free to GCSC students, faculty and staff; $10 for students 17 and younger; and $20 for adults. For more information, call 872-3886 or visit GulfCoast.edu/Arts online. 

‘BAREFOOT IN THE PARK’

Where: Amelia Center Theatre, Gulf Coast State College, 5230 W. U.S. 98, Panama City

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, 11 and 12; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6 and 13

Tickets: Free to GCSC students, faculty and staff; $10 for age 17 and younger; $20 general admission for adults

Details: 872-3886 or GulfCoast.edu/Arts