Macon Little Theatre to take on classic ‘The Odd Couple’

Broken marriages, friendship and mismatched personalities set the stage for Neil Simon’s classic play “The Odd Couple.” The show opens Friday at Macon Little Theatre.

The production centers around polar-opposite friends Felix and Oscar who begin living together after Felix’s wife throws him out. Felix is high strung and neat while Oscar is newly divorced, gregarious and messy.

“They are somebody everybody knows. You know an Oscar. You know a Felix,” said John Freeman, who is directing the play. “I think everybody is going to be able to relate … and that’s part of the comedy of being able to laugh at ourselves.”

The play opens in Oscar’s apartment, where he is hosting a weekly poker game. The group of friends learn Felix’s wife has kicked him out when he is initially a no-show for the game.

“We’re using no curtain at all. (The actors) are going to be walking in being in the apartment,” Freeman said. “The audience is going to be a part of the whole experience.”

The distraught Felix eventually shows up for the game and the night ends with Oscar extending the offer to share his apartment.

“The guys have been meeting every week for years and years and their dialogue is very real,” said Freeman, who retired this year from Mount de Sales Academy as the director of theater and fine arts. “They’re real human beings, and you do say some things to your friends that you won’t say to strangers.”

The play’s premise has been remade several times — most famously into a movie featuring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon and a TV show with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.

“Anybody that’s seen the movie will recognize a lot that’s going on,” Freeman said.

There is also an updated version of the plot on TV now, but Freeman is keeping with Neil Simon’s original 1960s version.

“The audience should expect a fun evening of laughter and nostalgia as they are brought back to that era of the ‘60s,” Freeman said. “This is not an updated show. We are keeping the original style of Neil Simon.”

The dialogues also features a lot of gags and innuendo.

“Some people will get them, some will not,” Freeman said. “It will depend on their age.”

Felix is played by Tyler Bryant and Oscar by Scot Cooley. There is a small supporting cast of the guys’ friends and their upstairs neighbors — a pair of sisters who become love interests.

“It’s got a very good cast. I’ve got some very seasoned actors,” Freeman said. “It’s been a good mix of bringing in new people to work with those who are seasoned. They work well together. They laugh well together.”

“The Odd Couple” is the second production of the theater’s 83rd season. Freeman has directed more than 70 shows in his career, but this will be his first for Macon Little Theatre.

“It’s been in my blood for a long time,” Freeman said.

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Macon Little Theatre to take on classic ‘The Odd Couple’."