DIRECTOR
PLAYWRIGHT
THE ODD COUPLE
BY NEIL SIMON
THE MARCUS CENTER
MILWAUKEE, WI
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
There are few stories more popular than The Odd Couple. You could even make a claim that Oscar and Felix are cultural icons. Certainly, most of us have seen the movie, or at least an episode of the TV show.
But Neil Simon’s play is where it all began. And though it’s nearly 40 years old, and was written when divorce still carried a stigma, the play works. It’s terrific situation comedy, and underneath the laughs is a real story of friendship and “marriage.”
May you find it funny, fresh and familiar.
REVIEWS
"[This production] proves that with the right talent at work, Simon’s script is still surprisingly fresh and witty. In a cleanup job that would make Felix Unger proud, this first-rate cast under director Edward Morgan dusted off whatever cobwebs of expectation that 40 years of interpretation have caused to accumulate. The resulting show sparkles with the brightness of a freshly cut diamond.”
– Shepherd Express
“Director Edward Morgan has the Marcus Center production up and spinning like a perfectly balanced top.”
– Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“No matter how many episodes might have been shown on TV, director Edward Morgan and cast nightly offer a carnival of new laughs to this City of Festivals’ summer offerings.”
– OnMilwaukee.com
“Christopher Tarjan as Oscar and John McGivern as Felix are priceless in their roles. Despite the fact that many of us think that no one is capable of surpassing Jack Klugman and Tony Randall as those characters, these gentlemen put that bias to rest. Each put his own legitimate stamp on that strange and unlikely pairing.”
– TimeOut
Lights: Jason Fassl
Costumes: Jeffrey D. Stolz
Set: Geoffrey M. Curley
Sound: Mikhail Moore
