The upcoming revival of The Odd Couple is setting off box office fires. On the first day of sales, the Lane-and-Broderick comedy has raked in about $7 million in advance sales.
The show begins previews on October 4th, but if sales continue along the lines of the first day, the show could potentially sell out its limited run before it begins performances. It is also possible for the Neil Simon comedy to recoup its entire investment before opening.Tickets, which went on sale on June 6th, are not available yet to the entire public. As of now, holders of American Express cards and groups can order in advance of the official day of box office-opening--July 5th.In addition to the bonanza team of Lane and Broderick, the production will feature Lee Wilkof, Rob Bartlett, Brad Garrett, Olivia d'Abo and Jessica Stone.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.
Rehearsals for The Odd Couple are scheduled to begin on Septemper 6th.
