Press Release: “The Odd Couple” at Cotuit Center for the Arts

Cotuit Center for the Arts presents Neil Simon’s classic comedy, “The Odd Couple,” April 11 to 27. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, April 11 to 13; Wednesday through Friday, April 17 to 19; and Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 PM. There will be a matinee on Saturday, April 13, at 2 PM. Holly Erin McCarthy directs.

Distressed and near-suicidal after his wife demands a trial separation, obsessively neat Felix Ungar {played by Ari Lew) moves in with his slovenly friend Oscar Madison (Anthony Teixeira), whose wife has divorced him. One of the most celebrated American comedies of all time, and considered Neil Simon’s most well-crafted and popular play, “The Odd Couple” is a hilarious take on the conflicts between the two friends when they attempt to live together. Felix transforms Oscar’s messy, unsanitary, but comfortable, apartment into a sparkling clean—and highly regulated—space, driving Oscar crazy and exasperating even their poker buddies with his annoying ways.

“The idea to stage ‘The Odd Couple’ came pretty naturally to us,” said McCarthy. “Ari and Anthony spent a summer living together, about 5 years ago. We have all been friends for about 12 years and that was perhaps the most trying time of their relationship. Between Anthony’s relative reclusiveness and Ari’s habit of cutting his toenails at the kitchen table, they were a match made in (hilarious) hell.

“Their friendship survived and they both made it out of that summer alive, with more stories to tell. It seemed only natural after that life-imitates-sitcom of a summer, to mount a production of ‘The Odd Couple” starring this perfect duo of real life friends who are also very talented actors.”

In addition to Teixeira and Lew, the cast includes Trish LaRose as Gwendolyn, Holly Hansen as Cecily, Daniel Fontneau as Murray, Ryan Sheehan as Speed, Norbert Brown as Roy, and Jason Mellin as Vinnie.

“The Odd Couple” opened on Broadway in 1965 and was made into a film in 1968 and several television sitcoms, including a cartoon, in the 1970s and ‘80s. Simon adapted the play to feature female characters in 1985 and updated the show with contemporary references in 2002, calling it “Oscar and Felix: A New Look at the Odd Couple.” The original play

Tickets are $35, $30 for balcony seating. There is a $5 discount for members and a $2 discount for seniors and veterans. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit www.artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.

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What:

“The Odd Couple,” by Neil Simon

Where:

Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit

When:

April 11 to 27. Thursday through Saturday, April 11 to 13; Wednesday through Friday, April 17 to 19; and Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 PM. Saturday, April 13, at 2 PM

Admission:

$35, $30 for balcony seating. $5 discount for members; $2 discount for seniors and veterans

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