NW dramatists to present gender revised Odd Couple
by Ashley Clark, entertainment editor

     In 1985 Neil Simon, a comedic genius, took one of his most famous Broadway plays about two bipolar opposites cohabiting an apartment and revamped it from being one American classic into becoming another.

     Theatre Northwest and director Brent Alford will present the reworked, female version of the classic play The Odd Couple beginning tomorrow.

     “It has got to be great fun for the audience to see the rewrites and revisions that make the play into a female cast. I think it is also fun to see how an American classic is reworked and still works as well as the original,” Alford said.

     All the original characters have been changed into their gender counterparts.

     The main characters, Oscar and Felix, two divorced men, have been swapped with Olive and Florence, two divorced women.
     “A different sex makes [the play] have a whole different set of dynamics,” Shannon Atkinson, who plays Olive, said.

     Through a series of events, including divorces, the two lead characters, who appear to have completely opposite personalities, become roommates.

     Olive is the very messy, easy-going friend while Florence, portrayed by Barbie Lowrance, is very neurotic and fastidious. Olive, already divorced, invites Florence to live with her after Florence’s marriage ends.

     Olive is still attached to her husband and is lonely living by herself. When Florence comes to Olive with her marriage troubles, the breakup provides the perfect opportunity for Olive to ease her loneliness and provide a situation where they can lean on each other for support by sharing an apartment.

     The play is about relationships, and it is very hard to portray real people in real conversations within those relationships, Alford said.

     The two long-time friends seem to have a classic love/hate relationship that causes a lot of conflict and real-life situations in day-to-day events.

     Lowrance added, “I like the relationship that Olive and Florence have in the play. It is very real, very fun, and it is that frightening love/hate situation that is the good stuff in a relationship.”

     Because of Florence’s sudden divorce, she is on the verge of suicide or some other extreme reaction, but Olive practically rescues her.

     Olive will also benefit from their friendship during the play, and by the end, she is a new woman, Atkinson said.

     Other characters in the play are Lindsey Simmons as Vera, Angie Wadill as Mickey, Kimberly Larson as Sylvie, Rachel Daniel as Rene and Andy Baldwin and Jeremy Lowrance as two Spanish brothers, Jesus and Manolo, who live in the apartment building with Florence and Olive.

     Alford, a passionate hands-on director, has decided to perform the play in the round, so the audience will actually sit on stage and surround the actors.

     “[In the round] is a great way to see the show. There is no separation between the audience and actors,” Alford said.

     This setup provides a very intimate setting where the audience is extremely close to the actors.

     “I have never done a play in the round, but I am excited about seeing the audience’s faces,” Lowrance said.

     Alford chose this script because the theater group has quite a few young females. With this play, they could be utilized in depth.

Describing his work with the actors, he said, “It has been a joy. It is always fun to work with young actors and let them discover the great comedy of Neil Simon.”

      This play is Atkinson’s first role at TCC, and she said the cast has been a lot of fun.

     “All of them have been very welcoming. I have learned a lot from watching and listening to Brent. [This play] has been a good experience,” she said.

     She is also excited about the different experience of performing in the round having never performed that way before.

     The Odd Couple will be the first comedy performance for Lowrance, who has worked with Alford for about two years.

     “I love working with [Alford]. He is a great director,” she said.

     Alford and the cast think the audience will enjoy the humor and the different twist on the story that female lead characters provide.

     “The fun is seeing it done with female leads instead of male because it becomes a new play all over again,” Alford said.

     Theatre Northwest will perform the show Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 16-19, at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday and Sunday. For reservations, call 817-515-7724.