Production features a solid cast and exceptional detail with set, props and costumes
Coming up on its 60th anniversary, Neil Simon’s buddy comedy The Odd Couple is a very familiar play to American theatregoers over 50. Following its successful run on Broadway, it was made into a film with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and a popular TV series with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. For theatre audiences of a certain age, The Odd Couple was the stalwart comedic play to see, and it’s been staged countless times from Broadway revivals to the lineup of just about every community theatre from Seattle to St. Petersburg.
But has it stood the test of time? Are the jokes still funny?
Firehouse Theater Company has set out to see, and with Dwayne Carrington in the director’s chair and a solid cast on stage, this multi-racial Odd Couple succeeds — but more as a museum piece than any kind of fresh take. The setup of two complete opposites trying to get along in a confined space is a familiar story in any genre, and the Firehouse production is akin to slipping on an old pair of shoes for a familiar walk in the park.
For any Odd Couple, you’ve got to start with a kick-ass Oscar and Felix, and this one’s got a great pairing with Don Randle as the neurotic neat-freak and Jeff Jesmer as the slovenly Oscar doing his best to humor him. Oscar may be a sarcastic New Yorker delivering one-liner jabs throughout, but he’s also got a good heart as he tries to help his friend spinning out of control following a breakup with his wife. Jesmer hits both sides of Oscar’s personality well and portrays the slob stuff without going over the top. Not caring so much about how fresh the sandwich meat is or how clean the apartment is, in fact, Oscar’s superpower for getting through life (and alimony payments) without losing his mind.
(L-R) Ian Scott, Allistair Basse, Don Randle, Matt Hindmarh, Jeff Jesmer and Lisa Wolf in ‘The Odd Couple’
On the flip side, Felix’s inability to not take things too seriously is his undoing, and despite the comedy, his story is rather a depressing one. I really enjoyed Randle in this role. Combining the funny with the sad, he’s got Felix’s vulnerabilities on full display even as the character can’t help pointing out the foibles of those around him — particularly Oscar. There’s a scene where Felix is clearing his sinuses out the window with a series of weird braying noises accompanied by some very funny donkey kicks that will stay in my memory for some time.
The Odd Couple’s setup includes a group of poker buddies who act as foils and punching bags for Oscar and Felix. These include Matt Hindmarh as Murray, Allistair Basse as Speed, Ian Scott as Vinny and Lisa Wolf as Roy.
Any show featuring accents is always a crap shoot, and it’s not unusual for actors trying for a New York accent to drift more toward Boston than Brooklyn. Wolf and Scott win for getting their vowels flattened the most accurately, and the two also were convincing as genuine Manhattanites.
Accents become more of a problem when Oscar and Felix invite their two English neighbors — Cecily and Gwendolyn Pigeon — to a romantic dinner in the apartment. Both struggle to sound like typical Brits, adopting grating Cockney accents rather than a more middle-of-the-road version — Yorkshire, perhaps. These characters are written to be giggly, but toning it down a bit and revisiting those accents would really help for their scenes.
Don Randle and Jeff Jesmer entertain the Pigeon sisters (Yasmine Hunter and LaDios Muhammad)
The set design and props design are credited to Kate Small, and she deserves a big shout-out on both fronts. The John Hand Theater is one of those venues where the stage is just inches from the front row, and it’s easy to see some of the 1960s detail on things like a vintage 7-Up bottle, ashtrays, newspapers, serving bowls and more — along with above-and-beyond touches like award plaques made out to Oscar Madison. Before Felix cleans things up, the set is strewn with these objects along with a jumble of furniture items that made it a challenge for the sizable cast to maneuver through and around — no doubt something that will grow smoother as the run progresses.
The set (built by Jesmer and nicely painted by Megan Davis) is a standout example of how even a small space can realistically portray a fairly complex, tight environment if everything is arranged just so. And Rachel Finley’s costumes are spot-on, adding period flair to everything from the Pigeon sisters’ matching dresses to the bowling-style shirts and hideous ties worn by Oscar and Felix’s fussy red jacket.
As for all those 60-year-old jokes, I’d say more hit than not — although my 22-year-old son was less impressed and wondered afterwards at the extent of the guffawing among the mostly older crowd.
For a walk down American comic theatre memory lane, this Firehouse Theater production of The Odd Couple is a nicely done homage to a classic — and a great option for those looking for something outside the many holiday offerings this time of year.
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