ADJUDICATOR'S ASSESSMENT

​

                NAME OF SOCIETY                              Weston-super-Mare Dramatic Society

                NAME OF PRODUCTION                       Barefoot in the Park

                VENUE                                               Weston-s-Mare Playhouse

                DATE                                                 11th November 1988

                ADJUDICATOR                                    Gerry Parker

​

​

PRODUCTION

​

At the end of the first act of this production I was all ready to take out my sharper critical pen and start writing. By the end of the play all such thoughts had been put aside and, like the audience, I had enjoyed my evening. That first act simply didn't come together. Many laughs were lost because of poorly timed lines. Each of the four principals were in turn guilty of this demeanour. For example, Mother's reply about the coffee pot coming with instructions 'If I'd known about your kitchen it would would have come with hot coffee' and Paul's lovely line about dropping something in from above to fill the broken roof light was also mistimed losing the laugh. But even in this first act there were compensations. Mum's 'I promised myself I wouldn't ask' in response to Corrie's query about what she and Paul did at the Plaza Hotel and Paul with his 'We can't. We took a towel and two ashtrays. We're hot' in reply to Corrie's suggestion that the return to the Plaza, being amongst them. Both lines were immaculately timed and thus gained a maximum response from the audience. 

​

During the first interval I think the producer must have done a Brian Clough on you because, from the first moments of Corrie's monologue, the pace and style had stepped up in class. By the time some physical humour had been introduced with Paul's staggering entrance carrying Ethel, all was well in hand. This new found confidence continued into the well performed argument between the young couple. Act III saw that all important element of timing being well used once again, with more and more of the author's famed one liners hitting the mark.

​

The well constructed and designed set had one almost insurmountable problem which it only partially overcame. The stage itself being of such a generous size it's very difficult to make the flat look as cramped and small as the dialogue claims it is. What was extremely well caught was the chaos and ill preparation in the first scenes (with paintwork up to my feeble standard). There was a fine stove stage left and a nice assortment of levels. To produce a convincing see-through sloping window of the size required is almost an impossibility. This one was ideally made, but the creases on the plastic sheeting window panes gave it away. Unless more and better use was to be made of the step ladder it should either have been set farther back or moved there earlier. As it was more than one player, especially Mum on one occasion, got lost behind it. Apart from the two Lloyd Loom chairs which looked a bit small and uncomfortable, furnishings and properties were well chosen for the flat. The bamboo screen and drinks trolley (minus wheels), vase of honesty, large hat on wall stage left, and painting on the opposite wall, all helped to present the right picture.

​

The lighting crew were in excellent form save for two exceptions. Densities in the opening scene and then in the evening were ideal and the sources shown, two table lamps and a wall bracket, also fitted the bill. The two problems came first as Corrie started Act II when we had about three different settings in quickfire succession as the curtain rose before getting to the right one, and secondly at the end of the Act. Here Paul put on the lights and a beautiful blue night effect came up and down came the snow - far too fast. At least the snow came down the sloping windows at the rear but the change of light had been too great for us to see any come through the broken skylight. As a result Paul lost a lovely opportunity in the shadows of the night to show us how he acquired his cold.

​

Costumes fitted nicely into the period in which you set the play and also on the characters who wore them. Particularly good was the telephone man's jacket and hat. He looked well protected from the cold which was more than could be said for the poor delivery man whose fur hat would have protected his head, but whose flimsy nylon overall would keep out nothing. I'm not sure I liked Corrie's bright red shows although they went with her accessories, but this and the not good enough baby doll nightie were the only things I didn't like about her appearance. Victor had one costume that looked below standard, the short jacket on his first entrance. Poor he might be but always a man to dress with a sense of style. Mum's dress aptly fitted the description that she only wanted to look clean for Paul's parents and that Victor would think she was a nurse. Like Paul her costumes went a long way to help create the right picture for her character to play in.

​

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

​

Corrie Bratter            You bounded in with all the effervescent energy of a young woman on the brink of life, full of enthusiasm and naive faith in the future and you never let that character escape all evening. There were a few moments when you let this enthusiasm run away with you. In the 'fight' sequence with Paul your voice occasionally rose and was sustained for too long on a high pitch. The change from good humour in this row to asking for a divorce was not entirely convincing, but in all fairness it is such an abrupt change of direction it presents more than a little problem to the performer. However, this was a minor point in an extremely well presented portrayal. Once into battle with Paul you were well away showing, during the meal, all the stubbornness of a thwarted child. I could believe this girl was deeply in love with Paul and, in a different way of course, loved Mum. With her love of life this was a delightful lady to know and a performance to thoroughly enjoy.

​

Telephone Man           This has got to be one of the all time best scene stealing parts in a Neil Simon play. His first scene is peppered with lovely one-liners and in the second scene you are beautifully left to respond to the young lovers' quarrel. You took both opportunities as offered, obviously enjoying yourself and in doing so you allowed Paul and Corrie to make the most of their lunch scene and gave us, the audience, much entertainment.

​

Delivery Man              Oh, what a brief moment of glory you have. You didn't look old enough for Corrie's remark about it being a shame to put such an old man on this route, but you were suitably breathless and distressed.

​

Paul Bratter                More than anyone else in the production this performance changed dramatically as the play progressed. A rather pedantic, if reliable, portrayal emerged in Act I. From the beautifully delivered 'Mr Munshin thinks it's him right now', the portrayal gained in stature. By the time we had arrived at your entrance with 'Mum' in your arms the performance was in full flight. The long 'row' sequence with Corrie was finely worked with lovely changes of pace and emphasis. If ever a man looked to be suffering from a cold and was miserable and irritable about it, you did. Like most men you looked and were very sorry for yourself. Because the portrayal was continually gathering speed I was a little afraid that the final scene when you arrive home drunk might be overdone, but this was played with just the right amount of broad humour, rounding off a good picture of someone who, for a lawyer, was some good kisser and for a kisser was some good lawyer.

​

Mrs Banks                   A performance full of troughs and high spots. On your first entrance equipped with a fine fur coat and sensible shoes, you gained your composure far too quickly after your encounter with the stairs. We then had some lively exchanges with Corrie and Paul, only for that gorgeous final exit line of 'Geronimo' to be thrown away instead of being a full bloodied war cry. You made good use of the dialogue early in Act II. I felt you played the second scene in this Act rather too much like someone who'd had too much to drink rather than being virtually exhausted and suffering a queasy tummy, but it could still be deemed a success. You looked very good in the kimono and Turkish slippers, setting up an ideal picture for Corrie to get the wrong impression of your doings with Victor. It's too late now but I would have put in a plea for a better wig. That one never looked real, especially when it was supposed to show the ravages of a night on the tiles. An uneven performance, but one with much more to admire than to criticise.

​

Victor Velasco              Variously described as the Sheihk of Budapest, that Hungarian Duncan Hines and earlier as the Count of Monte Cristo and The Bluebeard of Forty-eighth Street, we must presume that Victor has a mid-European background. Certainly Kurt Kaszner, who had the part on Broadway and in London, played him that way. Charles Boyer, who played him in the film version, imbued the role with his own particular Gallic charm. We need an accent then, not just to establish Victor's background, but to emphasise the polished charm of this educated foreigner. Therefore it became unacceptable to hear an 'A' added after certain words, which often goes with a comic Italian character, but not with a suave charmer. Apart from these moments when the accent jarred the dialogue was well handled and created a character to which Corrie could respond, first for his joy of life, and secondly as a threat to her mother. You could also see why, after such a poor start to the relationship, Mother ended the evening with a distinctly predatory glint in her eye.            Gerry Parker