Hope springs eternal when the curtain rises on Rosebud Theatre’s 30th Anniversary Season in Rosebud. Veteran actors and fan-favourite company members will take to the stage in one of the most popular comedies by America’s most produced and successful playwright.
Neil Simon’s hilarious romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park opens Friday, March 22 and sets the stage for an engaging and memorable season to come to the Rosebud Opera House.
As one of Simon’s earliest and most popular comedies, this light-hearted romance between a straight-laced lawyer and an impetuous free spirit begins where most romantic comedies end, bringing reality and humor to the life that happens after two people fall in love and get married.
Artistic director Morris Ertman believes it is the perfect piece to open a landmark season celebrating wonderful lives.
“It’s fun. It’s funny. It’s meaningful,” Ertman said. “Barefoot in the Park is about a wonderful time in life; those early days of marriage when hope keeps love afloat.”
Aaron Krogman, left, and Cassia Schramm at first read of Rosebud’s spring
performance of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. This show opens March 22.
photo courtesy Kelsey Krogman
Ertman was inspired to bring this play to life in Rosebud after observing older couples walking hand in hand through the quiet streets of the hamlet.
“Couples will be taken back to their newlywed days, either good or bad, and enjoy reminiscing about how far they’ve come together,” he said. “Barefoot in the Park tells us that opposites do attract; they do fight. They find that seed of love planted deep in their hearts. They make a new life together work in spite of the obstacles. Is this not the hope of everyone setting out on a life together?”
Rosebud Theatre veterans David Snider and Marie Russell lead this comic collective with their incredibly strong characterizations of Velasco and Ethel respectively. This is Snider’s seventh season in Rosebud and previous roles include Mitch in Tuesdays with Morrie, Matthew in Anne of Green Gables and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Russell is a long time fan-favourite last seen as Rachel Lynd in Anne of Green Gables.
“Whether you have been married for 6 months or 60 years, you will be able to relate to this play,” says Snider. “It’s incredibly funny, and I’m sure people will see a little bit of themselves in the characters on stage.”
