{"id":50284,"date":"2026-02-12T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T12:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=50284"},"modified":"2026-02-09T10:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:48:46","slug":"barefoot-in-the-park-brings-big-laughs-to-the-van-wert-civic-theatre-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/barefoot-in-the-park-brings-big-laughs-to-the-van-wert-civic-theatre-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Barefoot in the Park Brings Big Laughs to the Van Wert Civic Theatre Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Dave Mosier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Alea Rex as Corrie and Adam Shanaman as Paul.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Van Wert Civic Theatre is bringing one of playwright Neil Simon\u2019s biggest hit to the local stage, with its production of Barefoot in the Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play, which ran 1,530 performances on Broadway and is Simon\u2019s longest-running hit, was also a movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Redford also starred in the Broadway production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play follows a pair of young New York City newlyweds in the Sixties as they begin married life in a small, drafty apartment on the fifth floor of an elevator-less building. While madly in love, Paul and Corie Bratter are also opposites in personality. Paul is a rather conventional young attorney, while Corie is a free-spirited young woman to whom everything is an adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VWCT cast is small, just Paul (Adam Shanaman), Corrie (Alea Rex), Corie\u2019s mother Mrs. Banks (Amber Evans), an aging roue named Victor Velasco (Travis Nihiser) that Corie sees as a romantic possibility for her widowed mother, a telephone repairman (Ed Eichler), and a delivery person, (Dizzy Lantz).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the play begins, the newlyweds\u2019 individual views of their apartment is the first indication the marriage will have its ups and downs — and soon. Paul complains about the hole in the skylight, the small bedroom, and the fact the apartment only has a shower and no bathtub. Corie, on the other hand, sees the cramped space as charming and romantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While cracks in the marriage begin to appear over the apartment, they widen considerably during a disastrous outing with Velasco and Corie\u2019s mother to an Albanian restaurant. The couple get into a hilarious screaming match that ends with Paul sleeping on the couch and Corie\u2019s demand for a divorce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the couple eventually reconciles, also hilariously, there is plenty of witty dialogue and physical comedy in between (the long climb to the apartment is a running joke).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shanaman and Rex transition seamlessly from cooing newlyweds to a couple on the brink of a divorce, while Rex is particularly adept at the both the hippie optimism and emotional nonsense needed for her character. Shanaman also perfectly captures the bewildered look of a man who discovers he\u2019s married to an emotional whirlwind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Nihiser, as the aging man-about-town who discovers he\u2019s not as young and carefree as he once was, and Evans as the staid widow who learns to unwind (helped by a snootful of ouzo) also do credit to their roles. Of course, Eichler, the consummate VWCT veteran, makes the most of his brief appearances as the harried telephone repairman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vintage set also perfectly captures the urban vibe of the Sixties, while sound and lighting contribute to the overall ambiance of the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comedy is the perfect remedy for the winter blahs, or for those who just want an opportunity to laugh a little and enjoy the craziness of a Neil Simon classic. Performances began Friday, February 6 and ran through the weekend and will run next weekend (February 13-15). Evening performances begin at 7:30, while Sunday matinee curtain times is 2 p.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For information go online at https:\/\/vwct.org or call the box office at 419.238.9689.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Dave Mosier Van Wert Civic Theatre is bringing one of playwright Neil Simon\u2019s biggest hit to the local stage,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":50285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,1395],"tags":[28070,18043,28069,13541,13539,28068],"class_list":["post-50284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-entertainment","tag-adam-shanaman","tag-alea-rex","tag-barefoot-in-the-park","tag-neil-simon","tag-van-wert-civic-theater","tag-vwct"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t