‘The Odd Couple’ will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary next year. It’s a sort of mismatched friendship that many of us can relate to.
A much beloved play, this latest production brings together comedy royalty and a stellar Australian cast.
Director Mark Kilmurry is no stranger to Neil Simon’s story of two unlikely friends: Felix Ungar and Oscar Maddison. Kilmurry is the Artistic Director at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre and has directed a previous production of the play. Simon’s story has had several different incarnations on stage, TV, and film over the years with the Oscar-winning Walter Matthau, famous for playing Oscar on both stage and screen.
Todd McKenney stars as the fastidious and neurotic Felix Ungar. He has been thrown out by his wife and is staring down the barrel of a divorce. Lucky for him, his friend Oscar Madison (Shane Jacobson) lets him stay. The only problem is Madison is a relaxed, messy, compulsive drinker and gambler. The eight-room bachelor pad is not big enough for the two of them, as conflict and hilarity ensues.
This play draws together some slapstick physical comedy and witty banter. The two leads are polar opposites of each other, which causes some tense but funny moments between the neat freak and the slob. Jacobson and McKenney have an excellent chemistry with each other and their friendship in real life is very apparent here. They have worked together on various TV and theatre shows, including playing a married couple in the musical 'Hairspray'.
The whole show takes place on a static set by Justin Nardella, which serves as Oscar’s bachelor pad. The bulk of the action centres around a series of events: a poker game, an ill-fated first date, and the domestic drudgery/fallout between the titular ‘couple’. The ensemble cast are excellent and this is one energetic and entertaining romp.
Lucy Durack and Penny McNamee are an under-utilised burst of lightness in the second act as the Pigeon sisters. They are shrill and ditsy, but they also offer a real sense of heart to the darker themes of loneliness and divorce. Although the male ensemble characters are not explored in any great depth, they each have their own set of quirks and are ably played by Laurence Coy, Anthony Taufa, John Batchelor, and Jamie Oxenbould.
Almost 60 years on from its debut, there are moments where the jokes and storytelling feel a little dated. There are some things that may be a bit jarring for modern audiences including talk of telegrams and the use of corded telephones. But these things as well as the costumes are all evocative of the setting in 1960s New York. The male Australian actors deliver American accents with varying degrees of success.
'The Odd Couple' is a fun and familiar story. Full of many emotional and comedic moments, this play is all about embracing our differences and celebrating our friendships, even those unlikely ones. This much-beloved story of opposites attracting is a lively and enjoyable rendering brought to effervescent life by two Aussie larrikins.
Words: Natalie Salvo
