Connecticut Repertory Theatre's THE ODD COUPLE, Featuring Pat Sajak and Joe Moore, Opens 6/21

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) presents a revival of Neil Simon's 1965 comedy classic THE ODD COUPLE starring Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak and veteran TV news anchorman Joe Moore – real life friends since their tour of duty in Vietnam.  Performances begin June 21 at The Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre at Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

In THE ODD COUPLE, Felix Unger is a neurotic neat freak who gets thrown out by his wife. When he moves in with his friend Oscar Madison, a messy sportswriter, these mismatched divorced men must cope with the comic absurdities that come as they continually get in each others way. With the help of four poker buddies and two British divorcees who live upstairs, hilarity ensues as slovenly Oscar tries to mend finicky Felix's broken heart.

In addition to Sajak and Moore, the production also stars Brad Bellamy (Off-Broadway's Alphabetical Order and So Help Me God), Patrick Kerr (best known for recurring roles as Noel Shemsky on Frasier and Michael, the Blind Guy on Curb Your Enthusiasm), Liz Larsen (Tony Award nominee for The Most Happy Fella, among numerous Broadway credits), Kathleen McNenny (Mike Nichol's Broadway production of Death of a Salesman), Murray Rubinstein (Broadway Bound on Broadway), and David Allen Stern. The production team includes Michael Anania (scenic design), Sarah Ewing (costumes), Greg Purnell (lighting), Nathan Leigh (sound), David Alan Stern (dialect/speech coach), Sarah M. Delia (stage manager) and John W. Parmlee (technical director).

Pat Sajak (Felix Unger) has been the host of TV's Wheel of Fortune for more than 30 years. His other television credits include the late-night CBS talk show, The Pat Sajak Show, as well as guest appearances on The Commish, Open All Night and The Larry Sanders Show. He has sat in for Regis Philbin on the latter's morning talk show nearly 100 times, and has guest-starred on dozens of other talk and game shows. This marks the fourth time Pat and his longtime friend, Joe Moore, have starred together on stage. In addition to The Honeymooners and The Boys in Autumn, the two appeared as Felix and Oscar at Honolulu's Hawaii Theater. He splits his time between Los Angeles and Maryland with his wife, Lesly, and their two children.

Joe Moore (Oscar Madison) is the lead news anchorman for KHON TV in Hawaii, Joe has dominated the ratings there for 30 years.  He's also a professional actor, having co-starred in three regional productions with his long-time friend, Pat Sajak, most recently The Boys in Autumn in 2010, The Honeymooners in 2004 and The Odd Couple in 2001. Moore has also written and starred in a variety of plays produced in Hawaii, including Prophecy and Honor (with Richard Dreyfuss and George Segal), Will Rogers Returns, A Conversation with Mozart, and John Wayne: The Man Behind the Legend. He has also appeared in many island-based TV series, including Hawaii Five-O, Magnum P.I., Jake and the Fat Man, One West Waikiki, and Tour of Duty.  Joe's motion picture work includes starring roles in Moonglow with Milo O'Shea and Joanna Cassidy and Goodbye Paradise with James Hong.

Vincent J. Cardinal has served as Director of the Performing Arts Center at Adelphi University , Artistic Director of the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre in Coral Gables, FL and Director of off-Broadway's Circle Repertory Company School of Theater. He graduated in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama where he was honored with the ASCAP-Cole Porter Award for Best-Collected Work.  His play, The Colorado Catechism, premiered at Circle Repertory Company; the Los Angeles premiere garnered Dramalogue Awards for actors TimoThy Daly and Amy Van Nostrand. Cardinal's play King Dusyanta: A Tale from Kalidasa premiered at the Oasis Theater Company starring André DeShields. Cardinal directed Eileen Gallindo's Multicultural Disorder for Next Stage, NY, Joe Fox's Prism View at New Dramatists and Paul Corrigan's Queens Blvd. in a commercial off-Broadway run. Last summer Cardinal directed Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady for the Nutmeg Series and Spring Awakening: the musical for Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

CRT is the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. CRT productions are directed, designed by, and cast with visiting professional artists, including Equity actors, faculty members, and the department's most advanced student artists.  The synergy between professional and advanced student artists creates extraordinary theatre and a unique learning environment.

THE ODD COUPLE runs June 21 - July 7, Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. All seats are $43. Connecticut Repertory Theatre is located at 802 Bolton Road on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. Please call 860-486-2113 for tickets or for more information and call or visit the box office.  Tickets available online at www.crt.uconn.edu.

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