Twin City Stage has cast the first show of its 77th season, Neil Simon’s Broadway hit comedy, The Odd Couple. The play, directed by Bobby Bodford and sponsored by Salemtowne, opens Friday, September 16, and runs for two weeks.
Veteran Twin City Stage actors Anthony Liguori and Chad Edwards star as Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, two friends dealing with the challenges of going through a divorce. When Oscar, the slob, and Felix, the neat-freak, try living together, the results are hilarious.
The Odd Couple opens with a poker game, which The New York Times called “one of the funniest card sessions ever held on a stage.” The guys slouched around the poker table in Oscar’s Riverside Drive apartment are played by Tim Austin (Roy), David Piner (Vinnie), Chris Swaim (Speed) and Paul VanLoon (Murray).
But this show isn’t just about playing cards. Bodford cast Rene Lynn Walek and Mary Lea Williams as the giggly – and very British – sisters, Gwendolyn and Cecily Pigeon. The scene in which Oscar invites the two downstairs for drinks and dinner – prepared by Felix – backfires in a way that is pure Simon.
Twin City Stage chose well in picking this as its first show of the season. The Odd Couple opened on Broadway in 1965, ran for 966 performances and won several Tony Awards, including Best Actor (Play) for Walter Matthau and Best Author (Play). As The New York Times reported, “There is scarcely a moment that is not hilarious.”
The Odd Couple opens Friday, September 16, with a reception at 7 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. performance. Additional 8 p.m. shows are Saturday, September 17, and Thursday – Saturday, September 22-24. Sunday matinees are at 2 p. m. on September 18 & 25. All performances are at the Arts Council Theatre, 610 Coliseum Drive, Winston-Salem, NC. To order tickets, call the box office at (336) 725-4001 or order online at www.TwinCityStage.org. Prices are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (62+) and $18 for students with a valid student ID.
