Perseverance Theatre to Present THE ODD COUPLE, 4/10-26

Perseverance Theatre (PT) opens the Tony Award-Winning comedy The Odd Couple, by Neil Simon. Winner of the 1965 Tony award for best play, The Odd Couple has been a pop culture phenomenon in the fifty years since its premiere, which occurred during Lyndon Johnson's presidency, before Neil Armstrong reached the moon, and when the Beatles were still together. The Odd Couple runs on the Sydney Laurence stage at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts April 10, 2015 - April 26, 2015. Tickets are available through the Centertix box office at the PAC, online at Centertix.net or by calling 907-263-ARTS. There is a pay-as-you-can preview on Thursday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Laugh at the classic tale of the slovenly Oscar and the uptight Felix as they try to share Oscar's bachelor apartment while coping with their recent divorces. With some of the best jokes ever told about men living together, The Odd Couple will keep you in stitches as we look back at these men from another era and ask ourselves: has that much really changed in 50 years? Audiences' love for these characters led to a successful film (1968), a popular 1970's TV series, a Saturday morning cartoon, and multiple remakes of the play. This February, CBS launched a remake of the TV series, starring Matthew Perry (Oscar) and Thomas Lennon (Felix).

A classic from the master of the American stage comedy, Neil Simon. In 1965 and 1966, Simon had multiple Broadway hits including Barefoot in the Park, Sweet Charity, and Star Spangled Girl. Simon was already known for his TV writing, and was the winner of two Emmy awards, when the Tony award for The Odd Couple established him as a master of American theatre.. Simon's works include three Tony award-winners and seventeen nominations, making him one of our most recognized playwrights. Surprisingly poignant and side-splittingly funny, Neil Simon's witty dialogue, vibrant characters, and hilarious one-liners are evidence of his history writing jokes for early television and his enduring appeal for audiences.

Perseverance Theatre is presenting the original Tony Award winning 1965 script, as it might have looked back then, in the 1965 period and New York setting. The cast is 100% Alaskan talent. Bostin Christopher is back to play Oscar and James Sullivan plays Felix. Enrique Bravo plays Murray, Jeff Hedges plays Speed, Ben Brown portrays the accountant Roy, Corin Hughes-Skandijs plays Vinnie, and Olivia Shrum and Heather LaVerne play the pigeon sisters, Gwendolyn and Cecily.

Michael Stevenson returns to Perseverance to direct The Odd Couple. Stevenson's directing credits include the comedies Noises Off, Born Yesterday, and Boom! He has worked at regional theatre companies including B Street Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company and Orlando Shakespeare. He is co-director of the B Street Theatre Conservatory and a member of the B Street Acting Company. PT's Artistic Director Art Rotch designs the set, and lights, Meghan Wills designs costumes, and Andy Kline designs sound. The production is stage managed by BJ Brooks.

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