NEIL SIMON'S - THE ODD COUPLE
Oscar and Felix are at it again! After 42 successful
years, two movies, three stage versions, three television series and a Broadway revival, the boys come back to San Jose
to fight once more.
After neat freak Felix gets thrown out of his house
by his wife, he moves in with the sloppy Oscar and all hell breaks loose...but do the boys wind up learning anything?
The
Odd Couple was a hit 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film starring Walter Matthou and Jack Lemmon,
the television series starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, as well as other derivative works and spinoffs...even a
cartoon titled The Oddball Couple!
Simon was inspired to write the play when he saw his brother Danny Simon and
theatrical agent Roy Gerber living together after recent divorces. Danny,also a writer, took the first crack at the play,
but later handed over the idea to Neil. Theoriginal Broadway show starring Walter Matthau and Art Carney, directed by Mike
Nichols, ran for 966 performances and won several Tony Awards, including Best Play.
The Odd Couple was also revised by Neil Simon in
1985 for a female cast (Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno starred). It was based on the same story line and same lead characters,
now called Florence Ungar and Olive Madison. The play ran on Broadway for 295 performances and was directed by Gene Saks.
Just recently, not only has there been a Broadway revival with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, but Simon updated Oscar
and Felix for the new millennium in Oscar and Felix: A New Look at The Odd Couple, which premiered in Los Angeles.
