Characters
- Corie Bratter
- Telephone Man
- Paul Bratter
- Mrs. (Mother) Banks
- Victor Velasco
- Delivery Man
Act Summaries
Place:
Top-floor Apartment in a Brownstone on East Forty-eight Street, New York City
Act 1:
About 5:30 on a cold February Afternoon
Act 2:
:Scene 1:
Four day's later, about 7:00 PM
:Scene 2:
Later that night, about 2:00 AM
Act 3:
The following day, about 5:00 PM
Summary
Its focus is on newlywed couple Corie and Paul Bratter, who are setting up house in a minuscule fifth-floor walkup apartment in a downtown-
Manhattan brownstone. Paul is a straight-laced attorney, Corie a far more spontaneous free spirit. The two must contend with a lack of heat, a skylight with a gaping hole, several long flights of stairs, oddball neighbor Victor Velasco, and Corie's well-meaning mother, in addition to adjusting to married life.
Trouble in Paradise!
Newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter return from their honeymoon ready to start their exciting new life together, but things aren't exactly going as planned. The impulsive Corie's apartment choice doesn't meet Paul's - or any sane person's - standards. Six exhausting flights of stairs lead to a one-room apartment which lacks bathtub, furniture, heat, and room for a double bed. What highlights does the apartment supply? Quirky neighbors and a giant hole in the skylight, perfect for the New York City winter weather! Whoops! Things get a little too cozy for the young couple, and hilarity ensues as the power of love gets tested to its limits. Neil Simon is at his best in this heart-warming comedy about sacrifices, new beginnings, and not letting obstacles get in the way of what truly matters.
Adaptations
Simon adapted his play for a
1967 feature film, starring
Robert Redford and
Jane Fonda, directed by
Gene Saks.
In September 1970, ABC launched two series based on Simon plays,
The Odd Couple
and
Barefoot in the Park
.
A 1980
HBO telecast starred
Richard Thomas as Paul,
Bess Armstrong as Corie,
Barbara Barrie as Mrs. Banks, and
Hans Conreid as Velasco.