Laughter is in the forecast at Tusculum College as “The Odd Couple” opens on Friday, Feb. 26.
Theatre-at-Tusculum is presenting Neil Simon’s award-winning play for two weekends beginning Feb. 26. The production, directed by Marilyn duBrisk, will be in the David Behan Arena Theatre (side entrance) in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum campus. Performances are 7 p.m. Feb. 26-27 and March 3-5, as well as 2 p.m. Sunday matinees on Feb. 28 and March 6.
The comedy follows the lives of two distinctly different best friends, Oscar Madison and Felix Unger. The tightly wound, hypochondriac Felix, played by Brian Ricker, is forced to move in with the slovenly and brash Oscar, played by Chris Greene. Hilarity ensues as they try to make peace with their opposing personalities. They are supported by their poker buddies: Murray, played by Will Maddux, Vinnie, played by Parker Bunch; Speed, played by Chris Sutton, and Roy, played by Josh Beddingfield.
Oscar and his poker buddies try to become accustomed to Felix and his neurotic ways during this scene from “The Odd Couple.” The comedy opens Friday, Feb. 26 at Tusculum College. From left are Parker Bunch as Vinnie, Brian Ricker as Felix, Will Maddux as Murray, Chris Greene as Oscar, Chris Sutton as Speed and Josh Beddingfield as Roy.
Greene and Ricker were last seen on stage in Theatre-at-Tusculum’s production last fall of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” with Greene as the loving father and lead character, Caractacus Potts and Ricker as the dimwitted Vulgarian spy, Goran.
Maddux may be familiar to audiences as Juror #3 in Theatre-at-Tusculum’s 2014 production of “Twelve Angry Men” or as the King of Siam in the 2010 production of “The King and I.” The youngest member of the cast, Bunch has been growing up on stage in productions portraying characters ranging from Wednesday Addams’ love interest Lucas Beineke in 2014’s “The Addams Family Musical” to Bob Cratchit in 2013’s “A Christmas Carol.” Audiences will recognize Beddingfield as the kind-hearted Mr. Coggins in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and as the bride’s father, Mr. Banks in the Greeneville Theatre Guild’s inaugural production of “Father of the Bride.” Sutton who will be making his Theatre-at-Tusculum debut with this production, joins the cast all the way from Bluff City, Tennessee.
Joining the men on stage will be Oscar and Felix’s upstairs neighbors, the Pigeon sisters. The British sisters are invited to a double date and hilarity ensues. Portraying the sisters are Kendra Tarlton as Gwendolyn Pigeon and Whitney Marshall as Cecily Pigeon. Both actresses made their Theatre-at-Tusculum debut last fall in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” playing multiple characters.
Along with duBrisk, the production team includes Ricker as assistant director, Suzanne Greene as stage manager, Barbara Holt as costume director, Frank Mengel as technical director and Jennifer Howell as box office manager.
In this scene from Theatre-at-Tusculum’s production of “The Odd Couple”, the Pigeon sisters (Whitney Marshall, left, and Kendra Tarlton, right) try to comfort Felix (Brian Ricker) as they all discuss their failed marriages.
“The Odd Couple” premiered on Broadway in 1965 with Walter Matthau and Art Carney starring in the lead roles. Awarded several Tony Awards, the play was adapted for the big screen in 1968 starring Matthau and Jack Lemmon and became a popular 1970s television show featuring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. A remake of the series premiered on CBS in February 2015 starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon.
The comedy helped Simon become one of the best known American playwrights of the 20th Century. It has become culturally iconic and an American theatre staple.
The spring Theatre-at-Tusculum production is part of Tusculum College’s annual Acts, Arts, Academia Performance and Lecture series.
Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors citizens (60 and over) and $5 for children (12 and under). For more information or to reserve tickets please call Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or email jhollowell@tusculum.edu.