‘Barefoot in the Park’ breathes life into Youngstown Playhouse

By STEPHANIE OTTEY

YOUNGSTOWN — It’s no secret that The Youngstown Playhouse has had a fair share of trouble lately. With enough financial, mold and flooding issues to cancel a significant portion of the ’08-’09 season, the organization and building have both been struggling to remain intact.

Now, after months of blackout, with the help of a dedicated board of directors, many generous donors, the Christian Revival and Discipleship Center, actors, designers and directors, the Playhouse presents Neil Simon’s romantic comedy “Barefoot in the Park.”

An American classic, “Barefoot in the Park” has been successful on film and stage due to its likable characters, relatable themes and continual hilarity. Written in 1964, it tells the story of Corie and Paul Bratter.

The Bratters are a newlywed couple moving into their first New York apartment — five flights up. As Corie waits for the new furniture to arrive and tries to seduce her husband, she gets a surprise visit from her mother, Ethel Banks.

Ethel takes Corie on a typical mother-daughter road trip of guilt, as she explains that she’s “not lonely at all” now that Corie has moved out.

Eventually Mrs. Banks departs, only to be replaced by Victor Velasco, the unique neighbor who lives in the attic above the Bratter residence. His vivacious character inspires Corie to invite him to dinner Thursday night, as she plots to set him up on a date with her mother.

The night arrives, alcohol is served, and after an exotic dinner, Victor escorts Ethel home.

The setup angers Paul, who argues that Corie is abusing her mother, so Corie fires back that Paul is a stuffed shirt. The argument escalates until the couple is throwing the word “divorce” around like confetti. The discrepancy is eventually resolved, but the means of getting that resolution are unexpected and entertaining.

The opening-night audience Friday may not have been large enough to help fill the Playhouse bank account, but it certainly filled the room with uproarious laughter.

Starting with the arrival of the breathless and odd telephone repairman, played by Brian Lee, and continuing until curtain call, the cast had the audience in stitches.

The four leads, under the direction of John Cox, were very well cast in their roles.

Candy DiLullo appears to have stepped right out of the ’60s with her skinny jeans and minibeehive. DiLullo carries herself as a giddy teenager as she daintily opens the door at the sound of each buzz, yet harbors a gruffness that insinuates she’s trying to be a grown-up, too.

She embraces the flirtatious side of Corie and has no trouble smooching John Pecano, who takes on the role of her husband, Paul. The two have a distinct romantic chemistry on stage yet maintain the differences between their characters very well.

Pecano plays a very sincere Paul, so much in fact that his physical humor seems practically accidental. His timing is subtle and effective, particularly as he wolfs down a plate of Goulash unbeknownst to a preoccupied Corie.

Molly Galano is pristine and hysterical as the na Øve Mrs. Ethel Banks, and when she is paired with Pecano in the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2, they create a scene of such drunken stupor that it’s easily one of the most memorable moments of the play. Galano is captivatingly timid and demands attention every second that she is on stage.

When she meets with Victor Velasco, enlivened by Tim McGinley, the two are a fantastic pair.

McGinley dons a brunette look that slimes up the otherwise completely lovable Velasco and has enough charm to make any lady feel special in his presence.

A special nod goes to Joe Scarvell, who earned major cheers with his 60-second, silent cameo as well.

The set designed by Jim Lybarger could easily be an actual apartment and is nicely decorated as it would have been in the 1960s.

The production, like the Playhouse’s current condition, of course wasn’t perfect, but it certainly was what the theater needed to get things started again. “Barefoot in the Park” brings a much-needed feeling of optimism and cheer to the worn-out theater, and leaves every audience member with a big smile. The theater is certainly alive and on the way to being well again.