Can the dated comedy of “Barefoot in the Park”—a string of waggish wisecracks, farcical stage actions and comic misunderstandings—work today? The producers of next season’s Broadway remounting of playwright Neil Simon’s 1963 comedy seem to think so. But that production’s probable success will no doubt be influenced by the presence of well-known stage and screen actors already committed to that revival. In their inaugural company offering of “Barefoot, ” Chicago’s Easy Street Players feature no “names” to speak of, just a charming cast of newcomers who successfully provide a guilty-pleasure production that acknowledges and unapologetically embraces “Barefoot” for what it is today: a nostalgia piece of slick comic writing that mercilessly bludgeons its audience with a litany of predictable humor. No less and certainly no more. Equipped with this insight, and a well-honed comic timing—the cast delivers Simon’s lines with effortless, throwaway abandon and instead concentrates their youthful-exuberance into milking the physical running gags for so much mileage they could fund their own frequent-flyer program. The commitment pays off: whether you laugh with the actors, or laugh at the person next to you for laughing with the actors, the point is you laugh. (Fabrizio O. Almeida)
At Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, (312) 902-1500. Thu-Sat 8pm/Sun 2pm. $15-$20. Through July 24.
Close Reading: A Review of The Seldoms' Toolbox @ Twenty at Hyde Park Art Center Carrie Hanson, along with company members Damon Green, Dee Alba and Sarah Gonsiorowski developed dances inspired by the creative practices of sculptor Edra Soto, sound artist Sadie Woods, painter Jackie Kazarian and fiber artist Jacqueline Surdell. Each dancer interviewed and studied the studio practice of their partner.
Musical Mojo: A Preview of Stephen Lynch at Park West Lynch has carved out quite an impressive career, having scored a Tony nomination, a string of albums and Comedy Central specials that have marked him as one of the top musical comics of today.
