Can a slob and a neat freak live together in harmony? Will true friendship prevail, or will living together put an end to their relationship? The iconic duo of mismatched roommates Felix Ungar (Robert Maloney) and Oscar Madison (Mike Wasko) returns to the stage in the Arts Club’s production of The Odd Couple.
Oscar’s lonely eight-room apartment serves as the weekly poker hangout for him and his friends, but one night Felix doesn’t show up and the gang gets worried. Felix hasn’t missed a game in years, and he’s not the type to change his routine. Through perfectly timed friendly banter, they discuss what they should do.
When Felix eventually shows up, the news that his wife has left him prompts Oscar to ask him to move in. Oscar is used to sitting on a laundry-covered couch while eating TV dinners, but Felix won’t stand for even the slightest bit of dirt or untidiness, and when he moves in, the TV dinners move out. Felix cooks, cleans, and even saves them money in the process, but Oscar becomes increasingly annoyed by his obsessive tendencies.
Oscar decides that they need some female company, and they invite their neighbours, British twins Gwendolyn and Cecily Pigeon (Sasa Brown and Kate Dion-Richard) over for dinner. Brown and Dion-Richard give hilarious performances, with their high-pitched fits of giggles and falsetto accents. Maloney also impresses, as Felix bumbles around the stage weak-kneed. The audience can’t help but fall for him, as do the Pigeon sisters.
Not unlike that of a studio sitcom, this production has spot-on comedic timing and features outstanding performances from the entire cast. By the end, you feel you’re a part of Oscar and Felix’s world.
Arts Club Theatre Company is touring The Odd Couple around the lower mainland from January 23 to February 23. For more information, visit artsclub.com.
