Edition: U.S. / Global

THEATER REVIEW; It's Bicker, Bicker In New Odd Couple

Published: August 30, 1992

NEIL SIMON'S 1965 comedy, "The Odd Couple," has become a classic American work of comic art.

The story, based on the personalities of Mr. Simon and his brother, follows the problems faced by two unhappy roommates who discover that their conflicting personal habits interfere with everything from poker to sleep. One of them likes everything and everyone around him neat, clean and on time, while the other has not emptied an ashtray in months and has not even noticed the mess.

This tale of mismatching was a major hit from the beginning, and the television, movie and endless summer stock productions of this funny, well-written play have branded it into America's entertainment consciousness.

A few years ago, Mr. Simon decided that the play would be just as funny if its characters were female rather than male, and he rewrote it into "The New Odd Couple," which is at the Studio Theater in Lindenhurst through Sept. 19. Now, instead of a group of males bonding over a friendly game of poker, we have women bickering over Trivial Pursuit.

Oscar, the slob of the original odd couple, is a sportswriter who knows his subject inside, outside and down the center. His female counterpart is also a sports expert, but her knowledge comes from her ex-husband, rather than from any genuine interest in the topic.

"I like men in tight pants," she explains.

The fundamental problem with the play is that putting two women in a domestic situation is not inherently funny. Other activities or characters have to create conflict. Where our culture views as comical an argument between men over housekeeping chores, the same domestic battles can seem petty between women.

Because "The New Odd Couple" carries this fatal dramaturgical flaw, the director and cast are forced to work overtime mining whatever nuggets of humor might exist. In this case, the result has been a highlighting of every flaw in the script at the expense of the genuinely funny one-liners and short setups that occasionally shine throughout the play.

Doug Lillie, Studio Theater's artistic director and the play's director, exhibits little understanding of comic timing. His actors flip-flop around the stage, trying with mounting desperation to milk a laugh or two out of an audience more intent on chatting among themselves and pulling apart cellophane candy wrappers than on paying attention to the play.

Kathy Coletti turns Florence, the obsessively neat woman whose husband threw her out of the house after 14 years of marriage, from a charming, sympathetic neurotic into a prissy, obnoxious and whining caricature.

Andrea Ericks maintains some dignity as the sloppy curmudgeonly Olive, but she is unable to create the sense that she is the kind of woman who would serve warm Coke and stale sandwiches to her friends.

The best part of the evening is a scene in which two brothers are invited for a dinner date. Florence spends all day preparing the food so that everything will be ready on time, but Olive and the brothers arrive very late.

The two men, Manolo and Jesus, are from Spain, and their fractured English creates a series of good-natured, hilarious misunderstandings. Lucas Zerimar as Manolo and David Sachez as Jesus breathe fresh air and laughter into an otherwise stale event.

The rest of the cast, who play an assortment of Olive's and Florence's Trivial Pursuit buddies, appear insecure in their roles. They roll their eyes, make funny faces, do double takes and whatever else they can think of to elicit a few laughs.