“The Odd Couple is an example of how simplicity allows for complexity of character and highlights poignancy and depth. This production is perfectly cast, full of wit and wisdom and is highly recommended if you want some good old fashioned fun.“
Suzanne Mackay
5 Stars
Theatre Royal
Sydney
27th June – 28th July, 2024
From the moment the curtain comes up, Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple goes at a blistering pace and doesn’t slow down for even a second, that’s not to say it’s all one-note, in fact part of its charm is that it finds the depth within the comedy.
It begins at a regular Friday night poker game in the New York apartment of Oscar Madison, an apartment which is unkempt and in which the broken fridge brings forth an offering of green sandwiches or brown sandwiches for the guests. The game goes on, despite being one short for the game. Where’s Felix asks Anthony Taufa as Murray? He’s never been this late to a game. Felix is known for being meticulously organised and on time. Simon’s script builds up suspense in these small ways – the two leads are the last two to appear onstage – and it gives the piece a 1950s sitcom feel with familiar characters receiving applause when they enter. The direction is clean, the performances full of wit and the whole production feels larger than life, while at the same time natural.
Felix eventually turns up, it’s the worst night of his life, his wife has kicked him out and it’s decided he’ll move in with Oscar. The entire play spans the three weeks in which Felix and Oscar cohabitate, Felix turns the apartment into an immaculate meeting place complete with handcrafted deli sandwiches and cocktails, he curtails Oscars financial frivolity and drives him insane in the process, until he’s summarily told to leave. At the core of this simple story, is a discussion of friendship, brotherly love and family and two hours goes by in what feels like minutes.
Although the main characters are firmly entrenched in popular culture, this production works because the cast work as an ensemble. Shane Jacobsen and Todd McKenney embody Oscar and Felix respectively with perfectly timed delivery. Their poker buddies, Speed (Lawrence Coy), Murray (Anthony Taufa), Roy (John Batchelor) and Vinnie (Jamie Oxenbould) bounce off each other like a pinball machine in its heyday and the Pigeon sisters (Lucy Durack, Penny McNamee) bring pure comedic joy for the short time they’re on stage.
The Odd Couple is an example of how simplicity allows for complexity of character and highlights poignancy and depth. This production is perfectly cast, full of wit and wisdom and is highly recommended if you want some good old fashioned fun.
Suzanne Mackay, Theatre Now
