Photo courtesy of the Hofstra Drama Department
Kicking off the fall semester was the Hofstra Drama Department’s first mainstage show, Neil Simon’s comedy “Barefoot in the Park.” The show played from Thursday, Oct. 1, to Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Black Box Theater in Shapiro Family Hall. Simon’s play, originally written and performed in 1963, focuses on a newlywed couple, Corie and Paul Bratter, moving into their first house together in New York City. The couple is joined by Corie’s mother, Mrs. Banks, and they are soon introduced to their eccentric upstairs neighbor, Victor Velasco. Corie, carefree and ever the optimist, decides to set up her mother and Victor on a blind date, and hilarity ensues.
Performing a play written by a legendary playwright like Neil Simon is no easy job, but the cast handled it beautifully. Senior Thea Fogel (Corie) and junior Ellis Craig (Paul) ruled the stage in their scenes, under the direction of Rod Gomez. The two actors’ quick wit and natural comedic timing shone through with this production. Fogel and Craig’s chemistry together on stage, considering the polar opposite nature of their characters, made their performance as the happy couple Broadway-worthy, and made their break-up scenes all the more dramatic.
Mrs. Banks was portrayed by senior Margaret Engel, and her talent to dig out the nuances of her character was especially apparent. Engel’s ability to play a character adjusting to the culture shock of not only her own life, but Corie and Paul’s as well, made her one of the highlights of the show.
Sophomore Arianna Wentworth as Victor Velasco had audiences dying of laughter night after night. Her character’s quirks and eccentricities compared to the relative normality of the other characters heightened the comedy of the show, and Wentworth’s ability to take a comedic character seriously was apparent.
Rounding out the cast were junior Ralph Barone Jr. as the Telephone Repairman and senior Autumn Dion as the Delivery Person. Both Barone and Dion more than made up for their lack of stage time with the gags their characters provided. In particular, Dion’s first entrance had her gasping for air after climbing five flights of stairs, and she didn’t need words for her point to come across.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Drama Department instituted new guidelines in order to ensure the safety of both the actors and the audience. Both groups were required to wear masks at all times, even during the performance. Seating was limited to a select few students chosen by a lottery, and seats in the theater were socially distanced. Having to wear a mask during a performance presented an interesting situation for the actors. “A challenge that all the actors faced was diction and portrayal of emotion because half of our face was covered with a mask,” Fogel said. “We had to rely more on our voices and bodies to do the storytelling.” The cast faced this challenge head on, and they took full advantage of the comedic potential. In one scene of the show, Corie helps her mother prepare for the date with Mr. Velasco. When Corie tells her to just smile, she is met with an unamused look and a sarcastic motion toward the mask her mother is wearing.
Despite all of these setbacks and challenges, the cast and crew were able to put on an amazing show that demonstrated the resilience of the Hofstra community. “Barefoot in the Park” was the perfect choice to open the semester with, and was an inspiration to thespians struggling with the new restrictions. Ellis Craig recounted his time in the show, saying, “It was a great opportunity to learn something new, especially when it comes to overcoming and adapting to the world. I think that’s what I’m most thankful for overall: such a great experience with great, talented people and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” If you missed seeing “Barefoot,” have no fear; the Drama Department continues their season throughout the first semester, and their next shows are sure to be ones to remember.
