Barefoot in the Park had a pre-Broadway production under the title Nobody Loves Me at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA.[1] The play opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on October 23, 1963, and closed on June 25, 1967, after 1,530 performances.
The cast included Elizabeth Ashley (Corie), Robert Redford (Paul), Mildred Natwick (Mrs. Banks), and Kurt Kasznar (Victor Velasco); the director was Mike Nichols.
Myrna Loy starred as Mrs. Banks opposite Joan Van Ark as Corie and Richard Benjamin as Paul in the national tour during the time the play was still on Broadway.
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.
[1] On the basis of strong reviews and even stronger word of mouth, the Broadway production became a sold-out hit, causing the Biltmore Theatre to double the number of staff in its box-office to deal with the demand for tickets.
[7] Simon adapted his play for a 1967 feature film, starring Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Mildred Natwick and Charles Boyer, with Gene Saks, director.
The reviewer for UPI wrote: "Richard Thomas—light years removed from the John Boy image of his youth—is superb as Paul Bratter, the buttoned-down young lawyer struggling to come to terms with the elfin free spirit with whom he finds himself honeymooning.