Ukiah Players Theater raises its curtains again after pandemic closures

Neil Simon’s Tony-winning romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park is currently being performed at the Ukiah Players Theater until the 31st of the month. The play, originally written to take place in the 60s, in fact, takes place in 1982 in the Ukiah players theater’s rendition. The change is an ode to the 40th anniversary of the theater, says director Eric Ward. With 80s-inspired costumes, soundtrack, and set props, the play follows a young newlywed lesbian couple who have just moved to New York City in a teeny apartment on the top floor. Corie, played by Grey Wolfe-Smith, is an interior designer whose colorful personality is expressed with a rainbow wardrobe. Her wife Paula, played by Amanda Baguley, is beginning her law career and is the opposite of Corie, Paula is always anxious, concerned, and just trying to get some sleep. From the director’s notes on the couple’s dynamic: “opposites attract, but what makes someone easy to love, can also make them very hard to live with.”