LAKEPORT — Sunday”s sun gave way to the Art-Deco ambience of the Soper-Reese lobby this past Sunday, for a matinee production of the Lake County Theatre Company (LCTC)”s version of Neil Simon”s gender-switching rewrite of “The Odd Couple,” starring Cindy Strong as the brassy slob Olive Madison, and Laura Sammel as the neurotic neat-freak Florence Unger.
“The Odd Couple” has been an audience pleaser since its Broadway opening in 1965, when it won four Tony awards. The extremely mismatched roommates, Oscar and Felix, were further introduced to movie and TV audiences in the 1968 film and the 1970-1975 TV series and Simon wrote the female version in 1985.
Updating the script with women gave Simon more opportunity to flesh out his characters than the mirror image reflections of the original. Florence”s 14-year marriage is over and she moves in with her pal Olive. Sammel”s motherly shrillness bounces along beautifully off the grounded, seen-it-all before Madison, portrayed by LCTC vet Strong.
Unger (Sammel), with a stronger sense of self as a mother and woman than her original male counterpart, blurts, “I”m married to a 5-foot-3-inch man with an oversized toupee and boots up to his knees who walks around saying ?Da,” and he walks out on me?”
Later, pining for romance and attempting to clarify the evening”s plans to cheer up her obsessive roommate, Olive (Strong) ignited the audience as she grabbed Flo”s hand, pressed it to her breast, beseeching “Feel my breast? That”s not good enough! I want a bigger hand with knuckles!”
The men”s poker game turns into Trivial Pursuit, a wonderful vehicle for the women to relax, gossip and incessantly harangue each other, while also displaying their concern for each other”s welfare.
Joan Luke”s loyal, tough cop Mickey echoes Al Molinaro”s old TV role, Michele Chapman”s Vera dizzily delights as she takes barbs from Diane Schmidt”s ”80s fashionista Renee and Toni Stewart”s sexually charged Sylvie highlights Simon”s penchant for great one-liners: “It takes two to make a lousy marriage,” yet the cast reminds us it also takes two to make great friends.
When Strong”s Olive cooks up a scheme to lift Florence”s (Sammel”s) spirits by dating the Constanzuela Brothers (a riotous take on the ever so British Pidgeon sisters) the show really takes off. The suave Casanovas, played by Tim Fischer and James Paton, hysterically woo the ladies until Florence”s inescapable blathering about her husband cause them all to recount lost love and Olive”s long awaited romantic evening explodes into an orgy of facial tissue and lamentation.
Directors Linda Guebert and Susan Krones clearly had fun conveying this message of loss and loneliness, love and camaraderie through this collection of dedicated local players. Join them at 7 p.m. this Friday or Saturday or 2 p.m. Sunday at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre.
Getting there …
Soper-Reese Community Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport. Tickets to “The Odd Couple (Female Version)” cost $18 for reserved seating and $15 general admission with a $3 discount for seniors, students and Lake County Theatre Company members.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or at the Soper-Reese box office, open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Tickets are also available at the Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St. in Lakeport, 263-3095.
