16 • Milwaukee County Post • October 9, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

West Allis Players capture spirit ofNeil Simon’s ‘Barefoot in the Park’

By JULIE MCHALEPost Theater Critic

WEST ALLIS — It is no surprise thatNeil Simon’s 1963 play “Barefoot in thePark” continues its popularity. Simon’slongest-running Broadway show stillamuses us because of its recognizable situ-ations, its accessible characters and itshumor. The West Allis Players captured itscontagious spirit with its engaging produc-tion.

Paul and Corie Bratter have been mar-ried six days and are already beset withproblems. They live in a small, sixth-floor-walk-up apartment in New York. Paul isjust starting his law career and Corie isworking on becoming the perfect wife.Both are struggling. Neither is experienc-ing instant success in their endeavors. Thefurniture is late in arriving, the heat does-n’t work, the bedroom only accommodatesone oversized single bed, there is no bath-tub and there is a big hole in the skylight,an invitation to the cold, wintry air. To topit off, Paul’s first case does not prove fruit-ful.

Corie’s mother, Ethel, climbs up to visitthe young couple at her peril. Some of thehumor in the play is the reaction of most ofthe “climbers” to the strenuous ascent. She

is adjusting to her new single status, andCorie is trying to encourage her to take afew risks and create a new life for herself.

Two other characters arrive upon thescene — a telephone repairman and aslightly eccentric, interfering moochernamed Velasco, the neighbor who lives inthe attic above the Bratters. Both men pro-vide their share of laughs. David Cooklockaced his cameo role as the guy from AT&T.

One of the most memorable scenes inthe whole show is the first fight betweenCorie and Paul. We’ve all been there and wemight recognize ourselves as we listen.Corie thinks that Paul is too rigid, unableto have fun. He doesn’t even have the gutsto run “barefoot in the park.” She is lessconventional and a risk-taker. She thinkshe’s boring. He thinks she’s crazy.

The subplot between Ethel and Velasco,credibly delivered via Joan Boudro andPhilip Birdener, is amusing, but not asengaging as the relationship between thenewlyweds. Both Scott Fudali and JenniferLofy do well in the title roles.

Well-paced and directed by KatherineBeeson with a splendid set designed byBeeson and Fudali, “Barefoot in the Park”is alive and well, thanks to this invigorat-ing production.

Cast adeptly captures trials of newlyweds

At a glance“Barefoot in the Park”

The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. Friday andSaturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at West Allis CentralAuditorium.Visit www.westallisplayers.org.

Play’s treatment of loss, surprisingly,leaves one feeling ‘Amused’

By JULIE MCHALEPost Theater Critic

MILWAUKEE — A newlocal playwright and directorhas hit the stage at BrumderMansion under the auspices ofthe Milwaukee EntertainmentGroup. “Amused” is MeganAnn Jacobs’ first publishedplay, and it is a delightful, fan-ciful one with the theme ofmoving on after a loss.

Each of the six charactersin the cast has suffered a loss.

How each one deals with it isthe crux of the story.

As the play opens, Anita, adedicated writer, is about todie, and she makes her friendand muse Sebastian promisethat he will finish her lastwork.

We then meet Nikki who ismoving into an apartmentowned by Tyler. Her boyfriendRyan is urging her to move inwith him instead inManhattan, but she needssome space because of the

death of her twin sister. Tyleris mourning the loss of girl-friend Kasey.

There are many surprisesawaiting us as the tale pro-ceeds, and I’d rather let youdiscover them. Although there

is some sadness experiencedby all the characters, it is thehumor that will keep youengaged. All the actors arequite adept in keeping thatfocus.

Will Tyler get back togetherwith Casey? Will Nikki moveon with Ryan? Will Sebastiankeep his promise to Anita?These are the questions thatare raised and answered byplay’s end.

At a glance“Amused”

“Amused” runs weekendsthrough Oct. 17. Call 414-388-9104for tickets and times.

Submitted photo

Paul has just realized there is a hole in the sky-light in their freezing sixth-floor apartment —after climbing all the flights, finding out that theirfurniture has not been delivered and discoveringthat there is no bathtub.

See ‘Amused’ on Page 17

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By TOM JOZWIKTimeOut Film Critic

In my review a week ago, Iexulted that several goodmovies had accompaniedour new autumn movieslike that review’s 3 1/2-starsubject, “The Martian.”

Ridley Scott’s sci-fi adven-ture may or may not havebeen the best release sinceLabor Day; now, however, asquickly as it burst upon thescene, “The Martian” hasbeen overshadowed byRobert Zemeckis’ humor-spiked drama “The Walk.”

Both films concern them-selves with space. The dif-ference is that it is outerspace that “The Martian’s”Matt Damon is dealingwith, whereas “The Walk’s”star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,is interested in the 140-footspace between the the ill-fated Twin Towers in theNew York City of 1974.

Twelve people havewalked on the moon, publi-cists for the Zemeckis filmhave written. Only one hasever, or will ever, walk inthe immense void betweenthe World Trade CenterTowers. French-bornPhilippe Petit, the real-lifecharacter Gordon-Levitt

plays, is the only one, ahigh-wire artist whodecides to perform his act1,400 feet above ground,moving from tower pinnacleto tower pinnacle. Andback. Again and again.

If the tightrope process isbeginning to sound a littlemonotonous, so it came toappear onscreen. Really,though, we’re talking only afew minutes, and mention ofthat bit of monotony is theonly criticism you’ll get of“The Walk” here.

Oh, Ben Kingsley, whoplays Petit’s often per-plexed, dog-loving daredevilof a mentor has had betterroles and most of the othercast members are simplyfoils. But this is a movieabout one driven man andone quirkily remarkablegoal, and Zemeckis does afine job focusing.

Some will find fault withthe first-person narration,which the director alsoemployed in “ForrestGump.” But it worked nicelywith Tom Hanks and it also

works with Gordon-Levitt,making viewers feel theyknow this fellow Petit andevoking audience empathy. Icared little for the Gordon-Levitt of “Don Jon,” amovie he wrote and directedas well as starred in 2013. Ifound him far more appeal-ing here.

T h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a lmovies like “The Walk” arefrequently preceded by amessage contending movie-goers don’t merely watch afilm in this format, theyparticipate in it. As I sat inthe theater I was inclined toagree, for the first time. Ijerked my head away froman object falling rapidlytoward me, enjoyed a bird’s-eye view of the Statue ofLiberty, invaded the spaceof folks with faces biggerthan mine, and felt uncom-fortable teetering on theperiphery of skyscrapersand forced to look down.

Dariusz Wolski, who helda comparable position in“The Martian,” was “TheWalk’s” photography direc-tor. New York has seldomlooked as impressive. Andan end-of-movie shot of theTwin Towers, given that it— and in fact the entire film— was not accompanied byan explanation of theirfuture, served as an ingen-ious tribute.

Alan Silvestri took chargeof the music. In view of thetask Petit set for himself,the score’s similarity attimes to that of the old“Mission: Impossible” TVshow theme seemed appro-priately ironic.

October 9, 2015 • Milwaukee County Post • 17

ENTERTAINMENT

Zemeckis’ ‘The Walk’ is another fine fall flick

EPK.TV

With wine bottles representing New York City’s lofty Twin Towers, aerialist Philippe Petit(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) previews for girlfriend Annie (Charlotte Le Bon) “The Walk” he’sintending to take.

At a glance“The Walk”

★★★★Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, CharlotteLe Bon, Ben SchwartzDirector-screenwriter:Robert ZemeckisMPAA rating: PGRunning time: 123 minutesRelease date: FridayShowings: www.marcus-theatres.com

Tightropewalker’s

focus convincingly

delivered

All the actors have agood feel for their charac-ters, but most of themhave not adjusted theirvolume and style to thesize of this tiny theater.

Josh Scheibe is quiteamusing as Sebastian, butcan be a tad histrionic at

times. Madeline Bunke isvery credible in her roleas the mourning lawyerand twin sister. I likedNate Press as the mourn-ful landlord and OliviaGonzales in her cameorole as Kasey. PhilStepanski as Ryan, theshunned fiancé, is espe-cially funny in his con-

frontation with Tyler, theintrusive landlord. LoriMorse makes good use ofher limited appearancesas the writer.

Costuming and setdesigners, Tom Marksand Amanda J. Hull,made significant contri-butions to the success ofthe whole.

‘Amused’: Actors could turn down volume continued from Page 16

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