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Frechette Rounds Out Cast of Odd Couple Revival

By: Jun. 14, 2005
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With the addition of Peter Frechette as Roy, the upcoming blockbuster revival of The Odd Couple is fully cast.  He joins the dynamic duo of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick (both in the title role), Lee Wilkof as Vinnie, Rob Bartlett (Speed), Brad Garrett as Murray the Cop, and Jessica Stone and Olivia d'Abo as the Pigeon Sisters--Cecily and Gwendolyn.

While tickets for the show will not go on sale to the general public until July 5th, the box office has already taken in millions due to an advance sale for groups and American Express cardholders (who have been ordering up a ticket storm since June 6th at 10 AM).

Frechette, an experienced theatre veteran, has appeared on Broadway in The Play's The Thing, Any Given Day, Our Country's Good and Eastern Standard; he received Tony nods for the latter two.  His many off-Broadway credits include Valhalla, Flesh and Blood, The Dazzle, What the Butler Saw, Night and Her Stars, Raised in Captivity, The Destiny of Me, and Absent Friends.

Wilkof, who was Tony-nominated for Kiss Me, Kate recently appeared in Democracy, while Bartlett has appeared in Tabletop and Chicago.  Both have starred in Little Shop of Horrors--Wilkof as Seymour in the original production, and Bartlett as Mushnik in the Broadway revival.  Garrett is best known for his role on "Everybody Loves Raymond," and d'Abo is best known for her work on "The Wonder Years."  Stone has appeared on Broadway in Grease, The Smell of the Kill and Design for Living.  Rehearsals for The Odd Couple are scheduled to begin on Septemper 6th.

The Odd Couple relates the platonic love story of two very mismatched men--neatnik photographer Felix Unger (Broderick) and sportswriting sloven Oscar Madison (Lane). Sharing a room, their initial warm feelings for one another are tested when their lifestyles clash.

The original production of The Odd Couple opened at the Plymouth Theatre on March 10, 1965, and ran for 966 performances. Directed by Mike Nichols, the show starred Art Carney as Felix and Walter Matthau as Oscar. The show won 4 of its 5 Tony nominations, including the Best Author (Play) Tony for Simon. A classic 1968 film version would have Matthau reprising his role as Oscar, with Jack Lemmon as Felix. A revised female version opened in 1985, with Rita Moreno as "Olive" and Sally Struthers as "Florence." There was also a hit TV version that starred Jack Klugman as Oscar and Tony Randall as Felix.

The revival will be produced by Emanuel Azenberg, Ira Pittelman, Jeffrey Sine, Max Cooper and Ben Sprecher. Directed by Joe Mantello, The Odd Couple will open on October 4th at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. 


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