Review: THE ODD COUPLE-THE FEMALE VERSION at Little Theatre Of Mechanicsburg

Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg puts a new spin on an old favorite with their recent production of The Odd Couple-The Female Version. The classic comedy by Neil Simon, tells the story of bickering roommates, lifelong friendships, and second chances. Nancy Meister stars as the messy and carefree Oliver Madison-a woman long on sports knowledge and short on patience. Andrea Stephenson plays the uptight, fussbudget, Florence Unger.

The two leads get a lot of laugh, thanks in part, to the script, which utilizes many of the same wisecracks from the original. Opening night jitters may have caused a dropped line or two, but I am confident the show's already solid pacing will continue to evolve to match Simon's lightning wit.

Colleen Mundis, Catherine Tyson-Osif, Suzanne M. Thomas, and Randi Johnson played gal pals, Mickey, Sylvie, Vera, & Renee. Each actress played her part distinctly and humorously, and each had her own moment to shine over the course of the show.

A.J. Rhoads and Robin B. Parker played Manolo and Jesus, the girls' sweet, Spanish neighbors. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes featuring these actors. Their characterizations were honest, yet hilarious, and they brought a little extra spice to the performance. I'd be first in line to see a sequel featuring the adventures of these two guys!

First time director, Audrie Noll does a fine job with blocking, staging and action. I imagine it's not an easy job to get big performances from such a small stage.

One choice that did have me confused was the setting of the play. The playbill states show takes place in the year 1979. Yet there are references to things like Trivial Pursuit and Caffeine-free Pepsi from the 1980's and set décor associated with something out of Woodstock. If there was some sort of meaning in these anachronisms, it got lost on me.

Despite these minor quibbles, this is a funny show and a fun one. This was my first visit to the Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg, but it won't be my last. The show runs now through September 18th.

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