Teacher's Guide

Teachers Guide

Target Audience

Theatre Production, Grades 10-12

Pre-Show Activity

The knichi in Barefoot in the Park is a dish that Neil Simon made up. What could be made to be similar to what he describes or believable to the audience? Make and practice popping the knichi. Make Mr. Velasco proud! SOL 3.d: Students apply technical knowledge and skills to collaboratively and safely create functional scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup.

Kix on Stix Revipe

Amount of time: 

30 mins.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup corn syrup 

1/2 cup peanut butter 

3 cups Kix Cereal 

various candys and dried fruit (mini marshmallows even) 

multi-colored sprinkles.

Directions: 

In 3-quart saucepan, heat sugar and corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter until blended. Stir in cereal. Cool slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Lightly butter hands. Shape 1 to 2 tablespoons cereal mixture into a ball around each candy. Immediately roll in candy sprinkles. Place pretzel stick into each cereal ball.

Pre-Show Viewing and Discussion

Watch clips of the fight scene from different productions of the show and compare.

see 1:14:20-1:28:00

 Corie and Paul fighting

What are the differences and similarities between the different sets?

What are the differences and similarities between the different costumes?

Were there similarities in the acting from each character?

Pre-Show Reading and Discussion

Read the stage directions before each act and discuss how you would design the small apartment knowing what all needs to be done in the space. Make sure everything is functional and appropriate to the time period.

Post-Show Follow-Up Activity

Watch clips from the 1967 movie and discuss the differences; the way they tackled the set, differences in the script and locations for certain conversations. SOL 5.b: Students research and describe appropriate historical production designs, techniques, and performances from various cultures to assist in making artistic choices for informal and formal theatre, film, television, or electronic media productions.  

Corie finds Paul in the park, drunk and barefoot.

At the Four Winds restaurant with mom and Mr. Velasco.

Corie and Paul have a fight after an interesting night out.

Review Capsules

Production Reviews

"Early Simon, Dressed by Mizrahi" by Ben Brantley, New York Times, February 17, 2006
LINK

"Playhouse makes 'Barefoot in the Park' believable" James D. Watts Jr., Tulsa World, February 9, 2013
LINK

"Broadway 'Barefoot' With Bunions" by Peter Marks, Washington Post, February 18, 2006
LINK

"Barefoot in the Park, Richmond Theatre, review" by Charles Spencer, The Telegraph, May 1, 2012
LINK

"Sit back and enjoy this Stage West Production" by Barbara L. Fredricksen, Tampa Bay Times, May 12, 2012
LINK

"Not So Fresh" by Lee Williams, Houston Press, March 31, 2010
LINK

"Contemporary Theatre's take on 'Barefoot in the Park' is fresh, charming" by Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News, October 29, 2010
LINK

"Barefoot in the Park" by Travis Andrews, DC Theatre Scene, January 30, 2013
LINK

"Barefoot in the Park at Contemporary Theatre in Dallas" Laura L. Watson, Pegasus News, November 4, 2010
LINK

"Barefoot in the Park" Lauren Whalen, Chicago Theatre Beat, September 16, 2011
LINK

Production History

Original Broadway
Biltmore Theatre
New York, New York
Oct. 23, 1963- June 25, 1967
Mike Nichols- Director
Oliver Smith- Scenic design
Robert Redfor- Paul

Recent Broadway
Cort Theatre
New York, New York
Feb. 16, 2006- May 21, 2006
Scott Elliott- Director
Derek McLan- Set
Patrick Wilson- Paul

Off-Broadway
Bucks County Playhouse
New Hope, Pennsylvania
August 7, 2012- Sep. 2, 2012
Sheryl Kaller- Director
James Noone- Set
Lee Aaron Rosen- Paul

Recent Regional
Unity Theatre
Brenham, Texas
April, 14, 2005- May 01, 2005
Teresa Beckers- Director
Jodi Bobrvosky- Set
Charles Charpiot- Paul

Houston Production
Texas Repertory Theatre
Houston, Texas
March 26, 2010- April 11, 2010
Steve Fenley- Director
Liz Freese- Set
Stephen Myers- Paul

Dallas Production
Contemporary Theatre of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Cynthia Hestand- Director
Jen Gilson-Gillian- Set/Props
Will Christoerson- Paul
Oct. 29, 2010- Nov. 21, 2010

All-Black Cast Television Series
Sitcom
Premiered on Sep. 24, 1970
Ran for 12 episodes
Bruce Bilson, Jerry Paris, Charles R. Rondeau- Directors
Scoey Mitchell- Paul

Production Stills

The original Broadway cast of Barefoot in the Park in 1963.

Play House Theatre in Tulsa Oklahoma did Barefoot in the Park in 2013.

Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut did Barefoot in the Park in 2011.  

MUT did Barefoot in the Park in 1967which was modern at the time.

ReAct did Barefoot in the Park and the cast was mostly Asian.  

Contemporary Theatre in Dallas did Barefoot in the Park in 2010

The 2006 Broadway revival of Barefoot in the Park at the Cort Theatre.

The Otterbein Summer Theatre produced Barefoot in the Park in 2012.

Hard Copy Resources

Hard Copy Resources

title, author, and date

LOC call number

1-2 complete sentences describing what the resource is and what it contains

1-2 complete sentences explaining why you think this resource will be valuable to the production team

Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Culture and Counter Culture, James S. Bagess and Abbe Allen Debolt, 2012
REF E 169.12 .E515 2012 v.1
This book is an encyclopedia of everything 1960s culture. This would be valuable because it shows fashion from the day.

New York 365 Days, Gay Talese, 2006
F 128.37 .N5155 2006
This book is a giant picture book of New York ranging from the years 1920-2008. This would be valuable because there are pictures of what things look like now in New York and how they were in the 1960s.

Lost New York, Nathan Silver, 1967
F 128.37 .S55
This is a book full of architecture in the 1960s. This book would be valuable because there are pictures of old Brownstones and what other buildings looked like around New York and other big cities.

Impossible to Hold, Avital H. Bloch and Lauri Umansky, 2005
E 841 .I47 2005
This is a book that talks about the influential women in the 1960s and how they impacted society and other women of the time. This would be valuable because Corie Bratter is a strong woman who has her own views of life and I feel her character is greatly impacted by these women.

New Yorker, n/a, 1962
AP2 .N6763
This is a periodical of collections from the New Yorker in November though December in 1962. This is valuable because the play is set in the early 1960s and in winter. This information can be used to decorate their house with the items advertised and it also talks about what exactly was going on around the time the play opened on Broadway as well.

Sounds and Images

Sounds and Images

Corie tells Paul that she is going to do a "Cambodian Fertility Dance". This is a video depicting it at a festival.

 Cambodian Fertility Dance  

Paul and Corie live in an old brownstone building. This is an image of the outside of the buildings.

The newlyweds go the The Plaza for their honey moon. This is an image of the Plaza Hotel today. 

Corie whistles the Armenian National Anthem and this is what it sounds like.

Armenian National Anthem

Corie orders a Princess phone in beige. 

After returning from the Albanian restaurant, Corie and Mr. Velasco burst into the apartment singing "Shama Shama". This is a video from the movie where the song is being sung in the restaurant. 

"Shama Shama" 

Paul claims that Mr. Velasco orders him around like he "was one of the Santini Brothers" while arranging their apartment. This is who the Santini Brothers are.

Because Corie is fun and flirty, her fashion sense would be that of a "mod girl" and less like a Jackie Kennedy in the 1960's. This is "mod" fashion.

This link goes to different maps of New York City and the surrounding areas in the 1960's. 

MAPS!!!

Paul and Corie are a young couple and would be pretty in tune with the culture of the day. The artist Andy Warhol was a big success in the 1960's with his bright colors. This is a self portrait of his.

Corie is a free spirit and would listen to all types of music. This video is the top 60 songs of the 1960's.

Top 60 songs of the 1960's

Where and When

When and Where

Barefoot in the Park is set in New York City, New York in 1962 America.

During this time in New York:

• Jan 4th - New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board. Source
• Apr 11th - New York Mets make a losing debut. Source
• Feb 24 - New York police seized $20 million worth of heroin. Source
• 
  

During this time in the US:

• May 25th - US unions AFL-CIO starts campaign for 35-hour work week. Source
• Nov 2 - Dr. John W. Mauchly invented a computer the size of a suitcase. Source
• 
  

Dramaturgical Challenge

What is a morning room?

• Room used for luncheons. In the latter 19th century, the room became a space in which the ladies, Mrs. Harris in particular, would spend the duration of the morning doing their “work.” The work that was enacted included handcrafts such as embroidery and sewing, letter and journal writing, as well as giving daily direction to the servants. Because the “work” of the day was to take place in the morning, it was socially understood that visits to or from friends ought to be short: hence the array of uncomfortable small chairs which can be found in the room. The morning room in Eldon House faces west, which in some Victorian homes was deliberate; there was an assumption in that period that morning sunlight was harmful to the skin, and so the “morning” room’s location tended not to face east. Source

What furnishings would be considered luxurious and artistic? 

• Heavy mahogany and rosewood furniture symbolized prosperity, while elaborate tapestry cushions made their debut on dining room chairs and armchairs, providing comfort and luxury. Marble fireplaces were the focal point, and guests dined beneath crystal chandeliers in dining rooms, which were often decorated with patterned wallpaper featuring greens, browns or pastel colors. Birds in gilded cages and dado rails were fashionable accessories. source

What items would be needed for afternoon tea?

Afternoon Tea and High Tea are two different types of events. Afternoon Tea, also known as "low tea", is usually taken in the late afternoon. It was called "low tea" because it was usually taken in a sitting room or drawing room where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs.There are three fundamental types of Afternoon Tea:
Cream Tea (tea, scones, jam and cream)
Light Tea (tea, scones, and sweets)
Full Tea (tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert)
High Tea, also referred to as "meat tea", is typically of a heavier consistency, such as adding soup and salad to the menu.
Today, tea rooms serve a variety of tea courses purposely in this order: Scones (with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream), Savories (tiny sandwiches or/ and appetizers), soup, salad and pastries (cakes, cookies, desserts)

 The traditional time for afternoon tea is four o'clock. Today, most hotels and tearooms in North America serve from three to five o'clock with the hours often stretched slightly in either direction. Along with a choice of teas, there are three distinct courses:

1. savones (tiny sandwiches) first to blunt the appetite,

1. then scones, and finally,

1. pastries.  

• source 

How would they be arranged?

• The tea tray and china tea set are placed at one end of the table.
  On the right, set out the necessary number of cups and saucers and teaspoons to accommodate your guests.
  Plates, flatware, and tea napkins are placed on the left.
  Platters of refreshments can include tea sandwiches in fancy shapes, various kinds of nut breads, cakes, pastries, and cookies.
• souce

What music might Algernon be playing on the piano?

• Henry Litoiff

Historical Questions

The following are questions that should be researched from a historical point of view.

Corie and Paul live in the upper level of a Brownstone apartment building. The cost of living is a very important fact that should be known. Corie wants to lie to her mother to make her think that the rent isn's that expensive and she needs to pick a believable amount. So the questions would be, what was the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment in New York City in 1964, when it premiered on Broadway, and what would that be today? Also what is the actual cost of living in New York City today?

• The average rent in 1964 was $115 a month.
• The People History (New York 1964)
• Compared: $115 would be $840.03 today.
• The Inflation Calculator
• Now a days, in a studio apartment, rent would be around $2,300- $2,800 a month.
• Rental Prices in New York City

Corie tells Paul that she was going to perform "an authentic Cambodian fertility dance." What is the traditions in Cambodia in regards to fertility dancing? What does this fertility dance look like?

Corie's mother has to sleep on a board and this point it brought up time after time in the script. What was the medicinal benefits of sleeping on a board? Corie's mother also takes little pink pills that, by the end of the play, Mr. Velasco has to start taking as well. What were these pink pills and what was the medicinal purpose?

Paul is a lawyer in New York and is the only one bringing money into the relationship. How much did lawyers make in 1964 compared to what they make today?

A lot of different foods are brought to the Bratter household by Mr. Velasco. The questions that would need to be asked are, what exactly is Knichi and how strong is the Greek liquor "Uzu"? 

Paul and Corie live in an apartment in the East Forties off Third Avenue and Mr. Velasco suggests they go to Statin Island for dinner. Corie suggests to her mom that this is an adventure. How far is Third Avenue from Statin Island. Her mother lived in New Jersey and Mr. Velasco volunteers to take her all the way back. How far is New Jersey from the newlyweds apartment?

Additional Resources

June 6, 2013

(Marvin) Neil Simon Sheila Ennis Geitner

This is a brief description of Neil Simons life and his writings.

In this description of Neil Simon it explains the plot of Barefoot in the Park as well as a short character analysis and what his point was in writing the show in the first place.

Understanding Neil Simon Susan Koprince

In the following essay, Koprince focuses on defining characteristics of Simon's plays and screenplays, and offers an assessment of his literary achievement.

By understanding the characteristics of all of his plays, a better understanding of Barefoot in the Park and why he decided to write it will emerge. There is also a description of his life in the essay which effected his writing style and the content of the plays he wrote.

An Interview with Neil Simon Neil Simon and Jackson R. Bryer

This interview was conducted on January 23, 1992, in Simon's suite at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, while he was preparing Lost in Yonkers (then playing at Washington's National Theatre) for its Broadway opening.

With an actual interview, a production team can see what Neil Simons actual words were about the plays he wrote and what his intentions were first hand. This is an extremely valuable source because not only does he talk about his background, he also speaks of his writing style and the reasons behind choices he made for certain characters and certain plays he wrote.

Chapter 1: Broadway Bound Robert K. Johnson

Robert K. Johnson first looks at Neil Simons life and then takes a different look at the text of the play Barefoot in the Park and examines it very critically. 

This is very valuable for a production team because it is not a happy examination of the piece. Robert K. Johnson really digs deep and criticizes the irregularities of the text and then explains how it is not very true to life at all.

Taking a Second Look at Neil Simon Terry Teachout

The article discusses the work of U.S. playwright Neil Simon. It mentions the success of his plays such as Lost in Yonkers, The Odd Couple, and Barefoot in the Park while tracing his career path. Simon's progression towards darker comedies that had a more melancholy tone is explored, as well as the inspiration he drew from his personal life. Other topics covered include Simon's view of comedy, sentimentality in Lost in Yonkers, and a failed revival of his Brighton Beach.

By taking a second look into Neil Simons life, it is obvious that the things he lived through made him able to write the things he did. This article looks at more than just Barefoot in the Park but really opens up Neil Simon as a real human being.

Video Interview with Neil Simon Bill Boggs

Exegesis

June 5, 2013

Exegesis: Barefoot in the Park

Act one

Stage Directions: Old Brownstone (5)

An old building made of sandstone, a popular building material. 

Stage Directions: East Forties off Third Avenue (5)

An area of streets that range from 40th st to 49th st. in New York City.

Stage Directions: crests of snow (5)

Banks of snow that sit (in this case) on the ledge of the buildings out the window.

Stage Directions: dressing room (5)

A room for dressing.

Stage Directions: steamer trunk (5)

A trunk with a flat top.

Stage Directions: Franklin Stove (5)

The Franklin stove is a metal-lined fireplace named after its inventor, Benjamin Franklin. It was invented in 1741. It had a hollow baffle near the rear (to transfer more heat from the fire to a room's air) and relied on an "inverted siphon" to draw the fire's hot fumes around the baffle. It was intended to produce more heat and less smoke than an ordinary open fireplace. Source

Man: Princess phone (7)

The Princess telephone was introduced by the Bell System in 1959. It was a compact telephone designed for convenient use in the bedroom, and contained a light-up dial for use as a night-light. It was commonly advertised with the slogan "It's little...It's lovely...It lights", which was suggested by Robert Karl Lethin, an AT&T employee. Source

Corie: schlurp (7)

The closest I could find was slurp.

Stage Directions: telephone junction box (8)

An electrical junction box is a container for electrical connections, usually intended to conceal them from sight and deter tampering.

Man: "What's My Line" (8)

A panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations. It is the longest-running U.S. primetime network television game-show. Source

Corie: Bloomingdale's (8)

Bloomingdale's has the best selection of designer clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry, home furnishings, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men and kids. Source 

Voice: Lord and Taylor (8)

Retail and online shopping for clothing, accessories, jewelry and fragrances. Source

Man: "Elderado 5-8191" (10)

History of the telephone number.

Man: The Sweepstakes (10)

The United States consumer sales promotion known as a sweepstake (also known by its inflected forms which are both single and plural: sweepstakes and sweeps) has become associated with marketing promotions targeted toward both generating enthusiasm and providing incentive reactions among customers by enticing consumers to submit free entries into drawings of chance (and not skill) that are tied to product or service awareness wherein the featured prizes are given away by sponsoring companies. Prizes can vary in value from less than one dollar to more than one million U.S. dollars and can be in the form of cash, cars, homes, electronics, etc. Source

Stage Directions: attaché case (12)

An attaché case is a box-style case made of leather (occasionally aluminium), scrunched over a hinged frame that opens into two compartments. It was traditionally carried by an attaché, a diplomatic officer attached to an embassy or consulate officially assigned to serve in a particular capacity (e.g., cultural attaché; military attaché). Source

Corie: The Plaza (13)

Address: 768 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Paul: Schraffts (14)

Address: 13th Street and Fifth Avenue

Paul: Oliver Wendell Holmes (14)

(March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932. Source

Paul: affidavits (14)

A written declaration made under oath before a notary public or other authorized officer. Affidavits

Paul: furrier (15)

One whose occupation is the dressing, designing, cleaning, or repairing of furs. Furrier

Script Analysis

June 4, 2013

Playwright

Neil Simon is the world’s most successful playwright. He has had dozens of plays and nearly as many major motion pictures produced. He has been showered with more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer, and is the only playwright to have four Broadway productions running simultaneously. His plays have been produced in dozens of languages, and have been blockbuster hits from Beijing to Moscow. His true success, however, is in his unique way of exposing something real in the American spirit.
 Born in the Bronx on July 4, 1927, Marvin Neil Simon grew up in Manhattan and for a short time attended NYU and the University of Denver. His most significant writing job came in the early 1950s when he joined the staff of YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS, a landmark live television comedy series. [ … ] By the 1960s, Simon had begun to concentrate on writing plays for Broadway. His first hit came in 1961 with Come Blow Your Horn, and was soon after followed by the very successful comic romance Barefoot in the Park.
 Simon’s brother, Danny, who also worked on YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS, played a major role in his writing. Eight and a half years older, Danny brought Simon into the business and had shown him the ropes. In fact, it was Danny who provided the inspiration for one of Simon’s most enduring hits. After his divorce, Danny moved in with another divorced man, and this situation became the set-up for The Odd Couple (1966). Though Danny had begun writing the story himself, he reached a block and eventually handed it off to Simon who soon made it a smash on Broadway. Starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, the 1968 film version was equally successful and prompted a popular television series.
 By 1973, Simon was a major voice in contemporary comedy. But, that year he entered a low period in his life, when his wife of twenty years, died. Some time later, he met the actress Marsha Mason, and they were married. His 1977 play, Chapter Two, dramatizes the grief of a newly remarried man trying to start over after his wife has died. Chapter Two was considered one of his finest works and he followed it with a musical, They’re Playing Our Song.
 Throughout his four-decade career, Simon has drawn extensively on his own life and experience for materials for his plays. Many of his works take place in the working-class New York neighborhoods he knew so well as a child. One of Simon’s great achievements has been the insightful representation of the social atmosphere of those times in New York. [ … ] Simon found his greatest critical acclaim, and for his 1991 follow-up, Lost in Yonkers, Simon was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

Source 

Plot Summary

Corie and Paul are newlyweds, fresh from their honeymoon. Corie is still enthralled by her recent sexual awakening and the adventure that comes with youth and marriage. She wants their passionate romantic life to continue at full speed. Paul, however, feels it is time to focus on his burgeoning career as an up-and-coming lawyer. When they don't see eye-to-eye about their apartment, their neighbors, and their sex drive, the new marriage experiences its first patch of rough weather.

Source

Characters

Corie Bratter

A newlywed, Young, pretty, and full of enthusiasm for the future. She is also impulsive and adventurous. 

Paul Bratter

A newlywed and Corie’s husband who is very conservative. He is levelheaded and practical, and he keeps his emotions in check, perhaps too much so. 

Ethel Banks

Corie’s mother with a sensitive stomach and a bad back.

Victor Velasco

The man who lives in the attic upstairs. He is a very eccentric man with the taste for adventure and spicy food.

Harry Pepper

A telephone repairman.

Literary Criticism

Neil Simon has managed to squeeze hidden bits of laughter out of the old jokes, just as one can always get a little more toothpaste out of an empty tube and feel more elation in getting it than in the luxurious first squeeze from a brand new tube.

Source