The Village Players will open their 2020 season with the Neil Simon classic, Barefoot in the Park on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14. Opening night will be the Village Players’ now-famous Dinner Theater. Tickets for the opening night Dinner Theater are $35 per person.
Other shows will be presented on Friday, February 21 and 28 and Saturday, February 15, 22 and 29 at 8 p.m. There are two matinees on Sunday, February 16 and 23 at 3 p.m.
Tickets to the shows (other than the Dinner Theater) are $18 for general admission and $15 for seniors, students and military with ID.
Barefoot in the Park features Corie and Paul Bratter, a newly wed couple. For their first home, they live in an apartment on the top floor of a brownstone in New York City. Corie is optimistic about their future together, while Paul, the more anxious and grounded half of the couple, worries about the various flaws in the apartment, such as a hole in the skylight, their leaky closet and the lack of a bathtub.
Shortly after moving in, Corie attempts to set her mother up with their eccentric neighbor, Mr. Velasco. During the course of four days, the couple learns to live together while facing the usual daily ups-and-downs. Corie wants Paul to become more easy-going: for example, to run “barefoot in the park.”
Barefoot in the Park is directed by Kyle Tears. He is a veteran actor with the Village Players and is making his directorial debut with this production.
Tears said, “Going into my directorial debut, I was terrified of choosing the wrong cast, but after working with them for almost three months, I would not want anyone else.”
Tears added, “Everyone pulls the characters right off the pages of the script. I guarantee that anyone who comes to watch our show will see the amount of dedication each of them has put into the show.”
“The play has a ton of funny moments throughout. I think that if you are looking for a show to relax after a long week of working, then our show will help to make your weekend great,” said Tears.
The Village Players perform their shows at the historic James McCabe Theater, located at 506 N. 5th St. in Valrico.
You can get tickets by visiting www.thevillageplayersvalrico.com. For any questions, please call 480-3147.
