A Classic Comedy Duo
JUDITH GHOUGASSIAN
El Vaquero Staff Writer
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The Glendale College Theater Arts Department presents "The Odd Couple," a play by Neil Simon, which captures the story of friends whose lives are turned upside-down by their divorces.
The production consists of male and female versions, directed by Brian Dynda and George Mackey, which are performed on alternate nights.
As the play begins, the audience is introduced to Olive (female version) and Oscar Madison’s (male version) messy living room, where the characters Mickey (Kim Smyser), Vera (Sophie Pires), Sylvia (Dominika Ossowska), and Renee (Selin Merahbian) in the female version, and Roy (Ian Felchlin), Speed (Josiah Baldivino), Vinnie (Nick Campbell) Murray (David Ace Frame) in the male version, gather at the table to play card games; a typical regimen that takes place in their Riverside Drive apartment Friday evenings.
The friends in both versions tend to argue incessantly, adding humor to their presentation. The topic drifts from Olive (Jessyca R. Bluwal) and Oscar’s (Jeff Leatherwood) failed marriages, to their friends Felix (Val White) and Florence Unger’s, (Pamela Eberhardt), sudden divorce. A dramatic scene erupts between the friends, as they are all informed of the news by phone.
Felix, a skinny frail man, and Florence are both hypochondriacs, whose marriages fail due to their compulsive tendencies. Both characters are extreme perfectionists along with being compulsive cleaners. Due to this, both of their significant others ask for a divorce, leaving the characters devastated and suicidal.
Florence (Felix) eventually makes an entrance into the home of Olive (Oscar), and is offered the opportunity to move in, considering that Olive (Oscar) is also divorced and has eight extra rooms to spare. Florence (Felix) and Olive (Oscar) decide to live together and save money to pay for their alimonies. Soon, Olive’s (Oscar’s) once messy living room space transforms into a spotless masterpiece, causing the characters to live in an orderly fashion.
The constant bickering between Florence (Felix) and Olive (Oscar) brings them to the realization that they are in fact engaging in the marriage they once escaped. Eventually, Florence’s (Felix’s) intolerable behavior of constant cleanliness, hypochondria, and reminiscence of the past drives the unorganized housemate insane, causing Florence (Felix) to be kicked out.
The neighbors who live
upstairs, Gwendolyn (Bonnie
McMahan) and Cecily (Katrina
Rennells) Pigeon, seem to
appreciate Felix and offer to let
him move in, along with the
Spanish brother’s Manolo (Jose
Fernandez) and Jesus Costazuela
(Pablo Antonio Sanchez) who
take in Florence.
One may guess that the
directing in this production took
countless hours of work and
effort from both the cast and
crew; the outcome is very
successful. In both versions, the
acting is brilliant, leaving the
audience laughing at all times.
All of the actors and actresses
portrayed their roles in a mature
manner, bringing along their
own sense of personality and
uniqueness to the plot.
The set design is created very
naturally in this production,
giving the viewer the feeling that
they are in fact observing the
characters from Olive’s
(Oscar’s) living room. The
division between the bedrooms
and the kitchen help give life to
the setting, along with the props
used to create a natural
atmosphere.
The special effects are well
done, along with the lighting,
because the audience is able to
hear the natural noises one may
hear in an apartment, such as
water running in a shower, or a
toilet flushing. All these aspects
contributed to creating a setting in
which the audience felt a part of.
This production with both the
male and female version is very
unique, considering that Simon’s
original script consists only of
the male version.
In 1968 the script was turned
into a film, which starred Jack
Lemmon as Oscar, and Walter
Matthau as Felix, and was
directed by Gene Saks. The script
went on to become a popular
television sitcom in the 1970s.
This script may have been
written by Simon to show the
interaction between people, and
how an individual’s dysfunctional
behaviors can affect others
around them.
Both sets of performances are
well-done, as there is not a
single dull moment in this
production. It is a highly
enjoyable play to watch, and a
script, which will live on for
years and years to come.
