The audience might notice something odd about Theatre Cambrian's production of The Odd Couple, which runs Sept. 15 and 16 at the Jubilee Centre.
Instead of two men in the title roles, director Mark Mannisto
has cast two women.
Theatre Cambrian didn't need to get the author's
permission for this creative casting because Neil Simon had
already wrote a female version of his smash Broadway play,
which later was made into a movie and television comedy.
The female version with Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno
played on Broadway for 295 performances in 1985.
Mannisto says when Theatre Cambrian decided to produce the
play for 2006/2007 season, he hadn't decided whether to do
the original or the female version. He left it to fate.
As it turned out, the women who auditioned "outshone
the men," he said.
Theatre Cambrian veteran K.C. Rautianen plays Olive Madison,
while Angel Mannisto plays Florence Unger.
Olive is a sloppy, wise-cracking news show producer while
Florence is a houseproud hypochondriac. There is a supporting
cast of six actors.
The Odd Couple, directed by Mike Nichols was a hit on Broadway
in 1965. It ran for 966 performances and won several Tony
Awards.
Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathieu appeared in the 1968 movie
version, and Tony Randall and Jack Klugman starred in the
television series.
The play was revised on Broadway with Matthew Broderick and
Nathan Lane in 2005. Broderick and Lane play Felix and Oscar,
respectively.
Mannisto said much of the play is the same as the original
with a few of the masculine jokes given a more feminine twist.
The play opens with the women playing Trivia Pursuit instead of
poker.
The season opener is a dinner theatre production. Tickets
are $40 each.  Dinner will be prepared by Diana's
Catering.
The Jubilee Centre is located on Applegrove St., behind the
courthouse.
Once The Odd Couple closes, Theatre Cambrian will start
auditions for Cats, which will open in February.
Theatre Cambrian is also producing two other dinner theatres
this season: Moon over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig, and The Foursome
by Norm Foster.
In Moon Over Buffalo, an acting couple are on tour in
Buffalo in 1953 who are waiting for their big break.
The Foursome reunites four old college chums for a round of golf.
