'The Odd Couple'
Cristalyne Bell and Thaddeus J. Kingston
Issue date: 3/10/10 Section: Entertainment
It is the battle of the sexes, only this time it is between the jazzy men of '65 and the liberated women of '85. The comical genius of Neil Simon's Broadway play, "The Odd Couple," comes to Madison Area Technical College in a rollercoaster of laughter.
No one will want to miss the creativity of this student-run production. Two versions, both male and female, can be seen at the Mitby Theater until March 21.
The male version of "The Odd Couple" originated in '65 and was such a huge success that a path was cleared for a movie, television spin-offs and the '85 female version of the play. Both plays have the same basic plot and are centered on two main characters who share the same last names, Madison and Unger.
However, from job titles to hair styles, the difference in '60s and '80s culture is extremely evident.
Main actors Jeff Kriesel, who plays Oscar Madison and Michael Andersen, who plays Felix Unger, could not have done a better job portraying Simon's idea of a truly odd '60's couple. The divorced Oscar is a highly paid sports writer who is unsuccessfully living by the seat of his pants.
His gorgeous eight-bedroom apartment is hidden under filth and in addition to owing money to all his friends, he is hundreds of dollars in debt and weeks behind on his alimony. The soon to be divorced Felix is a neurotic, book keeping neat freak that would be difficult for anyone to live with.
The '80s is a new world for women because, "what a man can do a woman can do," according to one of the characters. But can they do it better or do cultural circumstances simply lend itself to a higher degree of outrageousness? For the most part, the female version of "The Odd Couple" is a lot of talk on sex and gossip, without sparing the profanity.
Similar to the male version, the play follows the lives of six friends going through the doldrums of middle-aged life. Olive Madison, played by Molly Shulman, and Florence Unger, played by Lindsey Jane Wolfgram, draw echoing laughter from the audience through their marvelous performance depicting not just an odd couple, but a loud-mouthed, estrogen infused odd couple with big '80's bangs.
No one will want to miss the creativity of this student-run production. Two versions, both male and female, can be seen at the Mitby Theater until March 21.
The male version of "The Odd Couple" originated in '65 and was such a huge success that a path was cleared for a movie, television spin-offs and the '85 female version of the play. Both plays have the same basic plot and are centered on two main characters who share the same last names, Madison and Unger.
However, from job titles to hair styles, the difference in '60s and '80s culture is extremely evident.
Main actors Jeff Kriesel, who plays Oscar Madison and Michael Andersen, who plays Felix Unger, could not have done a better job portraying Simon's idea of a truly odd '60's couple. The divorced Oscar is a highly paid sports writer who is unsuccessfully living by the seat of his pants.
His gorgeous eight-bedroom apartment is hidden under filth and in addition to owing money to all his friends, he is hundreds of dollars in debt and weeks behind on his alimony. The soon to be divorced Felix is a neurotic, book keeping neat freak that would be difficult for anyone to live with.
The '80s is a new world for women because, "what a man can do a woman can do," according to one of the characters. But can they do it better or do cultural circumstances simply lend itself to a higher degree of outrageousness? For the most part, the female version of "The Odd Couple" is a lot of talk on sex and gossip, without sparing the profanity.
Similar to the male version, the play follows the lives of six friends going through the doldrums of middle-aged life. Olive Madison, played by Molly Shulman, and Florence Unger, played by Lindsey Jane Wolfgram, draw echoing laughter from the audience through their marvelous performance depicting not just an odd couple, but a loud-mouthed, estrogen infused odd couple with big '80's bangs.
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