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People of a certain age will know that The Odd Couple is a play by Neil Simon. It premiered on Broadway in 1965, and three years later the characters were revived in a successful film. In the screen version the main parts were played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
Then in the 1970s it was a hugely popular television series, while also spawning several other derivative works and spin-offs. The plot concerns two polar-opposite, mismatched roommates; the neat, uptight Felix Ungar and the slovenly, easygoing Oscar Madison. The television roles were taken by Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. Ah, the memories!
Twenty years after the play opened first, Simon adapted it to feature a pair of female roommates (Florence Ungar and Olive Madison) in The Female Odd Couple, and he also produced a third version with a male and female roommate.
The Female Odd Couple was based on the same story line, but with subtle changes. The poker game became Trivial Pursuit. This was one year after the game’s popularity peaked in the USA, a year in which over 20m games were sold in that territory alone! The other cast characters were changed too, Florence’s and Olive’s friends becoming the girlfriends Mickey, Sylvie, Vera and Renee, while the Pigeon sisters from the original play became the Costazuela brothers, Manolo and Jesus.
The female version of the play was also translated into Spanish
While The Female Odd Couple did not match the success of the original, it did take to travelling the world and opened at London’s Apollo Theatre in 2001 starring the leading British actresses Paula Wilcox and Jenny Seagrove. The female version of the play was also translated into Spanish as La Extraña Pareja which opened in Madrid in 2017.
Irish theatregoers now have a chance to see what is described as “comedy gold” until 17 August at The Everyman in Cork. With tickets reasonably priced at between €26 and €33, this is a great night out for an audience of any age. The stars of the latest incarnation are Gillian McCarthy as Olive and Nichola MacEvilly as Florence.
The Everyman is one of Ireland’s leading middle-scale theatres
The girlfriends are played by Camille Ross, Gene Rooney, Eadaoin O’Donoghue and Noni Stapleton.
The venue alone is worth the ticket price. The Everyman is one of Ireland’s leading middle-scale theatres. The 650-seat venue is a jewel of late Victorian architecture and, not surprisingly, is a listed building. The theatre is steeped in history and is a favourite with audiences and performers alike for its intimacy and atmosphere.
The play is packed with witty one-liners, while the sharp dialogue guarantees that you will be laughing until your sides hur
The Female Odd Couple is the epitome of quick-witted, laugh-a-minute New York humour, and television shows such as Friends owe a huge debt to Neil Simon’s comic genius. This production is a fresh look at a familiar set up, and, as fans of the original might expect, sparks fly as Florence and Olive struggle to be themselves while living with each other. The play is packed with witty one-liners, while the sharp dialogue guarantees that you will be laughing until your sides hurt.
Though the play is set over three decades ago, the cleverness of Neil Simon’s writing means that the repartee and humour is timeless.
One thing to remember is that, while the play is The Female Odd Couple, the appeal of the characters is universal. The humour resonates with men just as well as it does with women, because the theme is one that has friendship at its core. The play is a clear demonstration of why Neil Simon was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1991, and his other works include Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues and The Goodbye Girl.
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