The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, July 11, 1978-Page 7
'Barefoot' lacks New York chic
By STEPHEN PICKOVER
Somehow, the city-slicker Neil Simon
comedy Barefoot in the Park just
doesn't seem at home in the farm coun-
try of Michigan, namely Manchester's
Black Sheep Repertory Theater. Of
course, it's not the location but the
direction's fault that the production-
lacks that sense of savoir-faire, that
cosmopolitan flair, that sophistication
essential to many of Simon's works.
Barefoot in the Park
By NeilSimon
Black Sheep Repertory Theatre
Black Sheep Theatre
CarrieBratter ......................Linda Hart
Paul Bratter ............Robert Beaupre
Mother . . . . Carol Rosenblum
Mr. Velasco.. . . .........StanGill
Telephone Man .................David Breseke
Delivery Man .. ...... Russ Collins
David Regal, director; Celeste D. Bell,
assisantdiretor; Deborah HazlettDet"desigor;
OwentJ. Anderson, costum~es; Celeste D. Bell,
fighting
Director David Regal strove for this
mystique with costumes - Paul Brat-
ter (Robert Beaupre), dressed in three
piece suit with trench coat (unlined I
might add, and in February!) and the
mother (Carol Rosenblum), decked out
ins fur jacket -but attitude was sorely
needed. The play leads us to believe
that Carrie Bratter (Linda Hart) and
her mother are suburbanites from the
other side of the Hudson-New Jersey.
The Bratters are receiving their fur-
niture from Bloomingdale's and Carrie
and her mother shop at Saks Fifth
Avenue regularly, i.e., they are well-to-
do. Paul Bratter is a rising young attor-
ney, probably making a decent wage to
afford the $280 per month rent and the
couple's dining excursions.
WHILE THE timing was beautiful,
all the characters, with the exception of
Mr. Velasco (Stan Gill), had that Ivory
Soap feeling (994/100 per cent pure).
Ivory Soap people don't come up with
bitchy, sarcastic witticisms every other
line like Paul Bratter, nor do they meet
in "Westchester for lunch" and dash
home to New Jersey by way of 48th
Street, like Carrie's mother, nor do they
set up blind dates with total strangers
and their mother, like Carrie.
Hart, especially during Act I, was
constantly smiling and so happy-go-
lucky that I was certain the peanut but-
ter in the refrigerator was spiked. Sure,
having a new apartment, new husband
and a six-day honeymoon at The Plaza
is enough to put anyone in a good mood.
Scott and Zelda liked the Plaza too. But,
when your husband is slightly miffed at
the lack of a bathtub and the hole in the
Ramsey Lewis: Style
supersedes substance
By ERIC SMITH
Ramsey Lewis' Saturday night appearance at the Earle affirmed that
his roots are still in the blues, yet we witnessed a different Lewis from the
one who popularized such songs as "Hang on Snoopy" and "The In Crowd."
Lewis has gained enormous polish and technical refinement, but his style
has become more a matter of ritual than revelation. One began to notice an
aura of predictability filtering through the tight arrangdments and exem-
plary execution.
Playing both ARP and moog synthesizers Lewis produceda smooth and
polished sound, yet refinement to this degree ceased to be of positive value.
On top of his formal arrangements, Lewis stayed within melodic lines and
improvised little. The result, an understated sound without gut-level impact,
was performance without pulse, an evoking of sentiment without emotional
drive. This was clear from the way ballads were accorded tender treatment,
while up-tempo tunes like "The In Crowd" suffered from a lack of fire.
THE PRESENT Ramsey Lewis trio is composed of Lewis, Eddie
Howard on drums, and Ron Hendricks on guitar. Through most of the short
show Howard's performance was restricted to rhythmic background for
Lewis, but his solo made clear what a dramatic drummer he is. He brought
tasteful control to his alternating outbursts of pitch tones and sudden stops,
exhibiting a beautiful sense of lyricism and timing and making his solo the
evening's high point. Hendricks' guitar playing was generally buried
beneath Lewis' dominating lines, and surfaced only with an occasional
strong ostinato line.
The arrangements typically began with a keyboard motif, repeated then
used as a springboard for improvisation. The formula became a bit wearing,
until "Oh, Happy Day" and a medley of "The In Crowd" and "Wade in the
Water," which finally stirred the audience with the familiar gospel blues
phrasings of the early Lewis style.
I did not come to the Earle expecting to hear the Ramsey Lewis of the
'60s. But it seems that he has grown as a technician rather than an artist.
skylight, you don't apologize with an
impish grin, like a diamond dealer who
can't find any bauble smaller than five
karats.
MUCH OF THE comedy in this piece
stems from the newlywed's opposite
temperaments. Paul is a practical,
logical and sensitive attorney who gets
tight now and then; Carrie is a wacky
Suzyhomemaker who wants to run
barefoot in the park in the middle of
winter and would probably feel quite
content to pitch Godiva chocolates from
her fifth-story brownstone at unsuspec-
ting passersby.
In the last act, a misleading switch
between the two occurs. Carrie has sent
Paul out of the house and asked for a
divorce, and Paul returns, tossing off
his stuffed shirt along with the rest of
his clothes. Carrie, on the other hand,
has become "sensible," and trys to stop
Paul from hanging on the rope which
swings outside their living room win-
dow. In reality, both have grown
together and learned to enjoy rather
than resent the other's idiosyncracies
- they realize that their independent
lives aren't wrong, just different.
THE SINGLE character who
managed to be on target was Gill's
Velasco. Attired in shabby jacket, ascot
and fully moustached, his inter-
pretation of a zany, aging Zorba still
chasing after the pretty girls was to the
point. He was debonair, suave, cheap
and poor, and never phony - the only
person to come to a party with gourmet
hors d'ouvres still in the pot.
Other than the aura of class that was
missing, all the acting was fine. Hart
and Beaupre came closest to their
characters when they were mad or
drunk, both snappish, bewildered, im-
petuous with ease. Beaupre's
reminiscent smile as he glanced at the
skylight before sleeping on the couch
was charming. Hart was particularly
convincing as she picked at her
goulash, a look of stubborn deter-
mination flashing in her eyes, not
speaking to her husband, and being per-
functorily polite to the telephone repair
man.
ROSENBLUM played the mother a
bit too flaky at times, but generally she
maintained the high caliber of the rest
of the performers. She was convincing
and humorous when faced with a blind
date rather than Paul's parents, for
whom she haddressed "clean."
There are some problems with the
script itself. For example, Carrie in Act
Three exits to find some aspirin in the
tiny bathroom, without a bathtub.
During her search in this tiny room,
Velasco and Carrie's mother hold a
dialogue which lasts at least ten
minutes. There are only so many places
one can look in that bathroom. What
took so long?
Also, the characters, unlike those in
Simon's California Suite, are not very
well developed. Simon only takes us
slightly past the exteriors, sacrificing
depth for wit. We feel entertained after
leaving the theater, but not really
knowing the characters, except
whether or not we would approve of
them living next door. In California
Suite, Simon lets us see behind their
defenses, especially in visitors from
New York and London. In Barefoot in
the Park, fight scenes end by slamming
doors, whereas in California Suite they
end by admissions of weakness.
However, the play is still humorous,
and Simon's quips, crass and funny,
make for an enjoyable evening.
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STAFF WRITERS: Michael Baadke, Karen
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Kerry Thompson, Tim Yagle.
wo _-
Ann Arbor RiFm Cooperative presents at Aud A
Tuesday. July 11-ADMISSION FREE
FORTY GUNS (Som Fuller, 1957) 7 only-Aud A
A shoot 'em up Western about the tombstone territory of Arizona and the
men who tamed it. "Each scene and each shot is full of originality. In one
of the most outstanding scenes, Barbara Stanwyck's brother holds her in
front of him as a shield. He shouts to Barry Sullivan, who is threatening
them with a gun, 'Go on, shoot, you dirty coward.' Without hesitation,
Sullivan calmly shoots. . . Barbara Stanwyck. .-Jean-Luc Godord. With
Dean Joaer and Gene Barry.
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