Alhambra Theatre & Dining's The Odd Couple Opens Tonight

The curtain opens tonight on a new chapter for the Alhambra Theatre & Dining as veteran actor Barry Williams - aka Greg Brady of the famed 1970's TV series, The Brady Bunch - stars in the Alhambra's first-ever production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. Mr. Williams will play the lead role as Oscar Madison in the classic comedy.

About the Odd Couple

Originated in 1965 as a Broadway play by Neil Simon, The Odd Couple was followed by a successful film and television series. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and slovenly.

Sources vary as to the origins of the play. Some sources claim that Simon was inspired to write the play when he saw his brother Danny Simon and theatrical agent Roy Gerber living together after recent divorces. However, in the Mel Brooks biography It's Good to Be the King, author James Robert Parish claims that the play came about after Simon observed Brooks, in a separation from his first wife, living with writer SpeEd Vogel for three months. Vogel later wrote that Brooks had insomnia, "a brushstroke of paranoia," and "a blood-sugar problem that kept us a scintilla away from insanity." The play, directed by Mike Nichols, ran for 966 performances and won several Tony Awards, including Best Play.

FelixUnger, a neurotic, neat freak newswriter (photographer in the television series), is thrown out by his wife, and moves in with his friend Oscar Madison, a messy sportswriter. In its original Broadway run, Ungar was played by Art Carney and Madison by Walter Matthau. Matthau was later replaced with Jack Klugman, and Carney with Eddie Bracken and later Paul Dooley. Klugman went on to star as Oscar in the TV series and Ungar was played by Tony Randall.

In 1968 The Odd Couple was made into a highly successful film starring Jack Lemmon as Felix and Walter Matthau (once more) as Oscar. Most of the script from the play is the same. The film was also written by Simon, who was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1998 Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau reprised their roles for the film The Odd Couple II, produced by Neil Simon.

The success of the film was the basis for 114 episodes of the 1970-75 ABC television sitcom, starring Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. Klugman was familiar with the role as he had replaced Walter Matthau in the original Broadway run. Randall and Klugman also reunited in 1993 for a made-for-TV reunion film based upon the series.

About Barry Williams

Barry Williams was born in Santa Monica, CA. He decided as a very young child that he wanted to be an actor, and in 1967 he made his television debut in an episode of Dragnet. He played guest roles in Adam-12, The Invaders, That Girl, Mission: Impossible and The Mod Squad before being cast as Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch sitcom in 1969. Following the Brady Bunch's five-year run, Williams became involved in musical theater, touring with productions such as Grease, The Sound of Music and West Side Story. In 1988, Williams appeared on Broadway in the musical, Romance/Romance with Tony Award-nominee, Alison Fraser. His 1992 autobiography, Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg, written with Chris Kreski, spent three months on the New York Times bestseller list.

"We are very excited to have Barry join the Alhambra family," statEd Smith. He continued, "Bringing in well-known actors is part of our marketing and performance strategy, and Barry's iconic stature and legacy not only as Greg Brady, but as a gifted actor, is a perfect fit for the Alhambra. Having grown up in the Brady Bunch era, Barry was a part of my childhood. I look forward to having him visit us and grace our fine stage. From the great response we have had so far, many people seem to feel the same way."

The Odd Couple opens May 25, 2011. Show times are 8:00 PM for evening shows Tuesday through Sunday. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the buffet starts at 6:30 PM. Matinees on Saturday are at 1:15 PM. Doors open at 11:00 AM and the buffet starts at 11:15 AM. Sunday matinee is at 2:00. Doors open at noon and the buffet starts at 12:15 PM. Group sales are available. Tickets start at $42 for adults and $35 for children. Ticket price includes dinner, show and parking. Call the box office at 904.641.1212 or visit on line at www.alhambrajax.com.

About the new Alhambra Theatre & Dining

The Alhambra Theatre is the nation's oldest continually operating professional dinner theatre and the only professional resident theatre between Atlanta and Miami. Opened in 1967, The Alhambra has hosted legends such as Tony Curtis, Claude Aiken, Sid Cesar and Cesar Romero, and, recently, Loretta Swit. The Alhambra was the place of Betty Grable's final acting role. The Alhambra is also home to former Miss America, Orange Park native Leanza Cornett who started at the Alhambra when she was 15. In November 2009, the Alhambra was purchased by Theatre Partners, LLC, headed by Jacksonville entrepreneur and Alhambra patron, Craig Smith as way to give back to Jacksonville and preserve what he believes is one of its cultural jewels.

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