A Barrel of Laughs All in a Night's Work for this "Odd Couple"

If you asked a group of typical UA students what they're doing this week, you'd probably hear a few of them say that they are going to see the sold-out female version of The Odd Couple, Neil Simon's comedy that replaces the idiosyncrasies and pranks of the beloved Felix and Oscar with the hormones and neuroses of New York women Florence and Olive. This dynamic cast is led by Jessie Towey and Kristi Wiley. Towey portrays Florence, the neurotic, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive hypochondriac whose mood swings and chronic "nerve spasms" result in night-and-day personality shifts. She says that she drives everyone around her crazy, citing the fact that she was once kicked out of the office of a marriage counselor as proof. Wiley's Olive is her polar opposite: a hopeless romantic who is still a marionette to her gambling user of an ex-husband. She is possibly the sloppiest person known to man with a very go-with-the-flow attitude towards life, resulting in an apartment in the condition of a pig sty.
Their group of friends is no less eccentric. First there is Renee, the most laid-back, empathetic, and realistic of the group. She is played by sophomore Deletha Edwards. Mickey, the police officer (portrayed by senior Alice Aycock) who is obviously a more dominant personality, is very blunt and very feminist. Then there is Sylvie, played by freshman Regan Stevens. Sylvie is a pistol of a woman, with an extremely acerbic wit to boot. In response to the question "How many times do penguins have sex?" and its answer (one), she immediately responds "Oh, well I married a penguin!" Her short temper also seems to put her in conflict with the last of the friends, Vera, played by junior Denée Mills. Vera is the very oblivious and dim-witted friend who wears horrible print patterns that bring back the not-so-fond memories of the 80's and is obviously very out-of-touch with reality. However, the two men of the show, the proverbial "roosters in the henhouse," if you will, steal the show. Lawson Hangartner and Elliot Moon play Spanish brothers Manolo and Jose Costazuela, who happen to be Olive's neighbors. These two "caballeros" are the suave kind who evoke images of Ricky Ricardo, complete with heavy Spanish accents and constant misuse of complicated English idioms.
The basic plot revolves around Florence and Olive. Florence's husband leaves her after fourteen years of marriage. She goes to stay with her best friend, Olive, who deals with her hysterics and eventually asks her to move in. Their diametrically opposed personalities added to Florence's constant whining, eccentric and egocentric behavior, and sometimes obsessive need for organization nearly drive Olive and their friends to the brink of insanity. The play is filled with sharp, witty one-liners and hysterical, speedy back-and-forth dialogue abundant in both subtle pop culture references and cheeky innuendo, similar in style to the banter of T.V. favorite Gilmore Girls. If you like a hefty dose of laughter combined with a cast of unique and dysfunctional characters, then I strongly recommend that you go see the Odd Couple at the Allen Bales Theater this week. In fact, I think I'll have a nerve spasm if you don't.