Opposites Collide in TAP’s The Odd Couple

Sturgeon Bay’s Third Avenue Playhouse (TAP) continues its fall season with Neil Simon’s enduring comedy classic, The Odd Couple. Performances are scheduled over two weekends:  October 8 – 11 and October 15 – 18. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows are set for 7:30 pm, with Sunday matinees beginning at 2 pm.

It has been over 40 years since Simon made the odd union of the perpetually disheveled Oscar Madison and the fussy hypochondriac Felix Ungar part of our popular culture. Based upon the real-life experience of Simon’s older brother Danny, the premise is simple:  two men – one divorced, one estranged  – move in together to save money for alimony. The joke is that the new roommates are as impossible with each other as they were with their spouses.

Simon’s first Broadway hit comedy, Barefoot in the Park, focused on the trials and tribulations of newlyweds. On the heels of that success, Simon was eager to explore the comic possibilities of the other end of the spectrum – two divorced men living together. The Odd Couple opened in March 1965, starring Walter Matthau as messy Oscar and Art Carney as fussy Felix. It went on to become the prolific playwright’s most beloved and long-lived comedy. The play spawned a hit film version, starring Jack Lemmon as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. A revival of the play was seen on Broadway in 2005 with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the starring roles.

The production is directed by Renee Kujawski, with Bill Bauernfeind as Oscar and Stuart Champeau as Felix. Ginger Auld and Lola DeVillers play the parts of the delightful Pigeon Sisters, with Marcel Bruyere, David Magle, Margaret Magle and Henry Timm rounding out the cast as Oscar’s poker-playing pals.

Tickets for The Odd Couple are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. Tickets are available at the TAP box office at 239 N. Third Avenue, Monday through Friday, 10 am – 3 pm, as well as one hour prior to performances. Tickets are also available at the Dancing Bear at 13 N. Third Avenue and online at http://www.ThirdAvenuePlayhouse.com.