Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park

Available Roles

• Corie Bratter Mid to late 20s Corie Bratter (ne Banks) wed her husband, Paul, six days ago and couldnt be more excited to begin her married life Optimistic by nature, she is sure their future is full of love, adventure, and happiness She is endearing and bright, charming everyone she meets Corie was largely in charge of choosing their new apartment though she is proud of the space she chose, she is nervous that it will be met with disapproval from her husband or mother, Mrs Ethel Banks The apartment is far from perfect--the space small, the radiator busted, the skylight broken--yet Cories rose-colored glasses help her see the place as charming
• Paul Bratter Late 20s Paul Bratter married Corie six days ago and is ready to begin life together with his new wife Their romance was fast, but Paul is wholly in love with his lively, free-spirited wife If Corie is right brain (imagination and feeling), Paul is left brain (logic, reason) He is the pessimist to Cories optimist, though hell play along often in order to please her He is cautious and practical, conservative and fastidious To Cories chagrin and irritation, he doesnt seem to possess an impulsive bone in his body She grows frustrated with Paul, accusing him of being stuffy, uptight, and decidedly no fun He, in turn, gets angry with her lack of foresight and her disregard for reality Their apartment is the perfect symbol of their differences whereas Corie sees a charming first home, Paul sees a small apartment that is six flights of stairs up with no working heater, a bevy of eccentric neighbors, no bathtub, and a broken skylight
• Mrs Ethel Banks 40s-50s Ethel Banks is the proud mother of newlywed Corie Bratter A widow, she now lives alone in New Jersey Her daughter moved into New York City with her new husband, Paul, 6 days ago, and Ethel misses her already She buys her many gifts for their new apartment, despite Cories wishes otherwise, and stops by unexpectedly the day they move in (on her way home from Westchester to New Jersey) Ethels life consists of suburban routines now, and spends most of her time with Corie or her sister She can be overbearing and overprotective towards her daughter and son-in-law, but it stems from her cautious nature and loving, big heart
• Victor Velasco 50s Victor Velasco, also known as The Bluebeard of 48th Street, is the eccentric upstairs neighbor of newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter He lives in the topmost apartment and hasnt paid rent in three months As such, his landlord has locked him out, but he manages to still get in by climbing the fire escape from the Bratters bedroom window Victor is a free-spirited bohemian, well-traveled and full of wild stories His adventures may or may not be real, but he speaks of them with such conviction and enthusiasm, no one will ever know the truth He is intelligent and worldly, experienced and full of life, with an impulsive and youthful spirit Though he is in his 50s, he still acts like hes a young man--eating rich foods, drinking and partying until late in the night, and scaling the seven flights of his building to get into his apartment Victor is charming and flirtatious, a fan of love and beautiful women Corie is inspired to set him up with her mother, Ethel, a New Jersey widow
• Telephone Man 30s-50s Henry Pepper works for ATT He visits the Bratters apartment to set up their new telephone The trek up the six flights of stairs (or five flights plus the stoop) wipes him out, to the point where he hopes never to be called back to the apartment again A realistic and pragmatic man, he is bemused by Cories newlywed optimism and romantic daydreams, but he plays along so as not to crush her spirit He is wisecracking, but empathetic Hes seen it all and offers surprisingly sage advice when the couple really needs to hear it
• Delivery Man 60s The delivery man works for Lord Taylor He brings the Bratters wedding gifts to their new apartment The trek up the six flights of stairs (or five flights plus the stoop) nearly kills him and he arrives at the apartment panting, wheezing, and near to collapse