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ABOUT THE SHOW
There's
a new odd couple in town -
Felix and
Oscar have been transformed into Florence and Olive in Neil Simon's
laugh-riot revised production of THE ODD COUPLE. Barbara
Eden, best known as the charming genie on the hit television series
I Dream of Jeannie, will star as the neurotically neat Florence
and Rita McKenzie will portray the unkempt Olive.
Reviews
"Simon's
adaptation for female characters works just as well as it did
for the original males...Barbara Eden as neurotic neatnik
Florence Unger and Rita McKenzie as slovenly Olive Madison
create comic sparks...they know just where the laughs are going
to be and they go after them with zest." Little
Rock Democrat Gazette
"[Barbara
Eden] hardly looked a day removed from her I Dream of Jeannie
days...as she took the final bow in a well received The Odd
Couple -Female Version...she even gave the magical Jeannie
arms-fold-and-nod to the delight of the crowd...the entire supporting
cast and stars were crowd pleasers judging from the standing ovation
they drew." Arkansas Times
LUBBOCK-AVALANCHE
JOURNAL
Eden, Ensemble keep audiences laughing
December 2, 2001
Barbara
Eden may be the star whose name helped defy a wealth of local
arts competition Friday and attract a near-capacity audience to
the unveiling of the national touring production of Neil Simon's
gender-bending version of The Odd Couple at the Municipal
Auditorium. And indeed, the former star of television's I Dream
of Jeannie even smiled and paid small homage to past fame
by crossing her arms and blinking the lights out, genie fashion,
at the conclusion of curtain calls. But it was the entire ensemble
that created comedy magic on stage for two and a half hours
Friday, resurrecting wonderful characters and delivering lines
in such hilarious fashion that Simon himself would have been chuckling
out loud. A lot. Longtime theater-goers need not worry that familiarity
will dilute the humor; even those who have seen The Odd Couple
performed countless times in the past -- that includes critics
-- will exit smiling. And oh, to be one of the few experiencing
this Simon hit on stage for the very first time. Suffice it to
say that the eight-member professional cast insightfully directed
by Joal Paley create a memorable comic experience. Scenic designer
Thomas Buderwitz designed a single set that exudes depth. The
setting is Olive Madisonís apartment, the site of a weekly casual
Trivial Pursuit-and-refreshments soiree for six women friends.
Conflict arrives late with the depressed arrival of Florence Unger,
played by Eden; separated from her husband, Unger is at the end
of a hinted rope and Madison agrees to take her in. But friends
don't always make the best roommates. Olive, played as saucy yet
sentimental by Rita McKenzie, is of course the female equivalent
of the slob Oscar Madison, played in the movie by Walter Matthau,
who passed the baton to Jack Klugman. Florence has the same annoying
faults of the character Felix Unger, portrayed by the magnificent
Jack Lemmon and Tony Randall on screen and television respectively.
Olive/Oscar is the lovable slob; Florence/Felix is the obsessive
neatnik. A match made anywhere but in heaven. On stage, the frustration
leads to emotional war when Olive sets up a blind date with the
Costazuela Brothers upstairs, and Florence empties the room of
all romantic possibility in record time. Eden and McKenzie
play off one another beautifully, each as adept with a double-take
or expression as they are with Simonís classic dialogue. Humor
escalates when the Costazuela brothers (the male equivalent of
the coo-coo Pidgeon sisters in the original) arrive, both inadvertently
mangling the English language -- very advertently showing off
chest hair -- as they embark on a double date with high hopes.
Larry Thomas and David Castro are a scream as Manolo and Jesus.
(So is Eden when remarking sheís dating "Jesus") But
the star's friends elevate laugh totals: Shirley Prestia with
comically pointed sarcasm and Georgia Engel, still remembered
from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, here a treasure stealing
multiple scenes by playing her naivetÈ for laughs. Elizabeth Alley
and Mary Pat Gleason round out the talented cast in a rare touring
attraction where stars belong on everyoneís dressing room doors.
Lubbock-Avalanche Journal (December 2, 2001)
BOCA
RATON NEWS
February, 2002
Neil Simon’s
The Odd Couple has been offered in a variety of incarnations.
Starring two men. Starring two women. As a stage show, a movie
and TV comedy. I even saw a production that featured twin brothers
portraying Oscar and Felix as...well, as twin brothers! But Barbara
Eden brings a new dimension to Simon’s enduring franchise
in the female version of “The Odd Couple” now being
presented at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale. The star
of TV’s long-running sitcom I Dream Of Jeannie fronts
an excellent cast that breathes new life into Simon’s play
-- a show that’s become sorely dated. Thankfully, this version
has been revised and updated to accommodate the gender-twist and
the realities of the new century. Audiences will notice other
familiar faces in the cast, but notoriety is less important than
talent. This ensemble has plenty of it -- and works together with
ease. Eden appears as Florence Unger, the neurotic neatnik originated
by Art Carney, created for the screen by Jack Lemmon and later
on TV by Tony Randall. Co-star Rita McKenzie is terrific as
Olive Madison, the sloppy roommate
played on stage and in the film by Walter Matthau and on television
by Jack Klugman. Florence has the same annoying faults as Felix
Unger - the mania for cleanliness, the passion for fine cooking
and the “moose call in the night” to clear her constantly-clogging
sinuses. And Olive is a carbon copy of Oscar - slovenly, yet sentimental.
And Florence really, really gets on her nerves as Olive does a
slow burn that finally erupts. Eden and McKenzie have partnered
on stage before -- and the chemistry is evident. McKenzie with
her Long Island accent and tough demeanor, is the perfect foil
for the fragile Eden -- who looks virtually the same as she did
the last time she popped out of a magic bottle on the TV screen.
Like many Simon plays, the first act tends to drag as he works
to establish the characters. Most of the laughs in Act I are sparked
by the gal pals of Olive and Florence who stop in for a saucy
game of Trivial Pursuit. The audience may have to make a conscious
leap to forget that Eden is not playing Jeannie here. Still sparkly
and peppy after all these years, she has to tone that down a bit
to capture Florence’s sullen moods. But it doesn’t take
long for Eden and the gallery to feel comfortable together and
from there, the play soars with comedy. To me, the funniest
scene is still the “date” with the Costazuela brothers,
the Spanish upstairs neighbors. Larry Thomas and David Castro
are absolutely great as the libidinous Latinos who bring a box
of candy that is “no good” and make an overt display
of chest hair. Thomas - familiar to Seinfeld fans as the
“Soup Nazi,” and Castro, seen most recently in the movie,
Pearl Harbor, help to kick up the comedy. And they play
an important role in the play’s conclusion. Among the Trivial
Pursuit players is Georgia Engel, who played the sweet but slow-witted
Georgette in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She reprises that
same type of character in the show. Other players -- Elizabeth
Alley, Mary Pat Gleason and Shirley Prestia -- provide gentle
humor and scathing sarcasm that is so appealing. This show isn’t
your father’s Odd Couple. Eden’s rock-solid performance
and apt supporting players make this new version a delight. Make
sure to catch Eden’s tribute to her alter ego as she leaves
the stage. She turns to the audience and delivers a Jeannie arms-fold-and-nod.
Blink -- and she’s gone. Dale
M King, Boca Raton News (February, 2002)
KALAMAZOO
GAZETTE
'Odd Couple' shines with cast, gags
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
In 1985, a rewritten
version of Neil Simon's 1965 beloved comedy The Odd Couple
came on the scene with the lead roles reversed by gender. That
adaptation, concluding its run at Miller Auditorium Tuesday evening,
brings with it more than a sex change. Gags have been updated
and made gender-specific, and a stage full of women characters
creates a noticeably different tone compared to the original play.
Only the core situation remains. The laid-back sportswriter, now
named Olive Madison (instead of Oscar), is driven to distraction
by her obsessively fastidious roommate, Florence (no longer Felix)
Unger. The weekly poker parties with men and stinky cigars are
replaced with weekly gatherings of Olive's lady friends playing
Trivial Pursuit. The English Pigeon sisters here become the even
more comical Spanish Costazuela brothers. Since by now everybody
knows the story plot by heart, the production and performers must
make the show worth our while. Strong production values, capped
by director Joal Paley's fine pacing, succeeded in makingthis
version a new theatrical experience. Barbara Eden as Florence
offered a capable performance that was enhanced simply by her
vivacious presence. She created a cocoon of fussiness that emphasized
the wearing quality needed for both the Florence and Felix roles.
Rita McKenzie as Olive established an entirely different and contrasting
style for her character -- loud-mouthed and careless in demeanor.
We understand instantly why she calls Florence a "human accident."
Comic seasoning also is found in the lady friends, particularly
with Mary Pat Gleason's "Mickey" and Georgia Engel's
"Vera." Both performers clearly are well-versed in comic
shtick and timing, and whenever they were onstage they automatically
brought smiles to the faces of the audience. Absolutely riotous
were David Castro as Jesus Costazuela and Larry Thomas as his
brother Manolo, the Spaniard airline workers living in the same
tenement. When they could be heard clearly, their language mutilation
was enormously funny. Spanish men, they assert, are "cake-winners"
(instead of bread-winners), and homosexuals are "happy people."
They constantly unbutton their shirt fronts to reveal hairy chests
whenever trying to impress Florence and Olive at the mangled dinner
party. Nor will the supercilious grins frozen on their faces soon
be forgotten. New gags kept the laughs coming in this production,
and though it will not replace the original version, this show
brings its own comic pleasures. By CJ Gianakaris,
Kalamazoo Gazette (March 12, 2002)
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