The Dewdney Players are tackling a Neil Simon classic “Barefoot in the Park” which continues at the Rotary Performing Arts Centre until May 14.
Dewdney Players’ mainstay Ed Sands said one remarkable thing about the show is the stage setup.
“It’s an amazing set we’ve got designed for it,” he said. “We’ve converted the Rotary Performing Arts Centre into a two storey affair.”
The set resembles a portion of a New York brownstone apartment building which plays home to newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter, played by Anne-Marie Cotton and James Nash.
Dealing with the limited confines of their apartment is a minor hurdle for the pair in comparison to the great contrast in their personalities. Corie is an adventurous spirit who embraces life while her husband, Paul, is a buttoned up lawyer who has a hard time being spontaneous.
Sands’ role in the production is that of Victor Valasco, the Bratters’ brash, uninhibited, older neighbour. The actor said it’s taken some work for him to assume the guise of his character.
“Valasco is this Hungarian Duncan Hines type. He climbs mountains and has had three wives,” he said. “I almost have to come out of myself to be Valasco. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man.”
Sands said he’s enjoyed being part of this romantic comedy, which was first performed on Broadway in 1963.
“It’s funny,” he said. “Just rehearsing the lines is enjoyable. It’s classic Neil Simon with little twists and things that come around in the story.”
Okotoks actress Michelle Noordhof landed the role of Elizabeth Banks, Corie’s mother and she said the character is fun for her to play.
“She’s a very fascinating lady,” Noordhof said. “She’s a little off the wall, a little loopy but with good intentions.”
Noordhof’s last feature length production with Dewdney Players was back in 2004 though she did appear in a couple of their one-act plays last year. Prior to the one acts she’d taken a prolonged hiatus from acting but she said she is grateful to be back. So much so, she’s enjoyed every step of the rehearsals.
“It’s been a phenomenal process and this is a fantastic group to work with,” she said.
The actress explained one of the first things the cast did together was watch the 1967 film version of “Barefoot in the Park” starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda as the newlyweds.
“The first evening we watched it not really to replicate things from the movie but to just have a sense of how things were at the time,” Noordhof said. “It was also a good way to understand what a brownstone is because that’s very key to the play. You need to understand just how intense the flights of stairs in those buildings are.”
Dewdney Players presents Barefoot in the Park Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee show goes Sunday, May 8 at 3 p.m. Three additional performances will end the play’s run the following weekend. Go to www.dewdneyplayers.com for more information.
