Shenanigans with Felix and Oscar (South End Theatre Society)

stagedoorlouisville
16 hours ago
2 min read

The Odd Couple

Written by Neil Simon

Directed by Ruby Harr

Review by Kate Barry

Name two characters that are more synonymous with a play than Felix and Oscar. Mention those two names and you immediately know one is clean and tidy and the other is a slob. South End Theatre Society is back with the Neil Simon classic The Odd Couple. This sophomore production is bright, lively and full of laughs.

In case you have never seen the many reboots and variations of Neil Simon’s comedy, Oscar is “divorced, broke and sloppy” while uptight, slightly neurotic Felix keeps a tidy home. When Felix experiences marital troubles during a poker game, Oscar opens his home and shenanigans ensue. While the play is full of heart, it also contains some dated jokes about needing wives to keep a home clean and tidy. With a play focused on middle aged men, this performance does well to emphasize the friendship between Oscar and Felix which makes the play more entertaining and accessible for a modern audience.

When you enter the auditorium, the impressive, full scale apartment setting designed by Roy Brumley transports you to Oscar Madison’s disheveled home. As Oscar, Ryan Briggs leans into a brusque exterior with plenty of apathy. Brumley does well to thinly veil Oscar’s brutishness with a longing for his family. Briggs adds a carefree attitude as his poker buddies complain about his brown and green sandwiches and warm cokes. Richard Seng as Speed is particularly funny with relatable reactions to how Oscar has chosen to live his life, making his complaints heard.

Interrupting Oscar’s poker game is a heart broken Felix. As he draws closer, the ensemble handles the descriptions of his suffering with comedic ease. TJ Schumann’s Murray and Robert Brumley’s Vinnie share a great comedic bit as they scurry about, attempting to stay out of Felix’s way and hiding in the most obvious of places. Brent Braun gives Felix a great pay off upon entrance and continues with large comedic choices involving heightened emotions, facial expressions and just plain absurd noises when popping his ears.

As the titular couple, Brumley and Braun have established clear choices as the distinct characters. Instead of leaning into stereotypes of slob versus the snob, the relationship between Oscar and Felix and their differences play well. As they host a dinner with their Pigeon sister neighbors, played with adorable flirtation by Debbie Smith and Allie Jo Hall, Briggs’ Oscar cannot help but pursue potential romance while Braun’s Felix is relentlessly uncomfortable with the entire scene. With failed attempts at romance, a nearly silent sequence of passive aggressive bits followed by a high paced chase around the apartment displays the most humorous moments between Brumley and Braun’s Oscar and Felix.

At its core, The Odd Couple is about friendship. Felix and Oscar are very different and living together proves to be a disaster. And South End Theatre Society’s production shows how even in the ups and downs of life, the oddest of friends can stick together.

The Odd Couple

South End Theatre Society

Friday March 27th at 7:30 pm

Saturday March 28 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm

JCTC SW Campus/Horvath Auditorium

1000 Community College Dr.

Louisville, KY. 40272

https://southendts.org/