Odd Couple Debrief

     I guess my thing is doing debriefs way later so that they are no longer relevant or interesting. Odd Couple debrief.  The road to The Odd Couple has been a long one.  We brought the scripts and planned it as a follow-up to our first show, She Loves Me.   It stalled because of casting.  We picked it up again a few years later, even had an audition, then two people dropped, and we were out again.  Following last year's production of the female-driven Steel Magnolias, we really wanted to do a male-centric show and decided to just roll the dice and hope we got the guys we needed.  We did, but before I go there, more on the process.
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      In the original cast, we envisioned me as Felix, Ethan as Oscar, Noelle Winkens and Kari Teno as the Pigeon Sisters, and Mike as one of the poker buddies (probably Vinnie).  None of that happened.  The potential poker buddies were always in rotation.  We had a few randoms in the mix.  One time, we did a read through with Ethan and me as Oscar and Felix, Mike as Vinnie with Dan Cristo and Steve Rudd sitting in as Speed and Murray.  I would have loved to have been a part of that show.  It was dynamite.  Dan and Steve were great, but they both lived out of state.
      By the time we got around to doing it, not only were Eric, Michael and Ben gone, but Ethan too.  Obviously, that presented a casting issue.  Considering our run in Art, we decided to switch it up and put me as Oscar and Mike as Felix.  We did auditions for the rest and ended up with a fun cast, both iterations of it. (We had to do some recasting for the Angelica shows.)

     I try to imagine how it would have felt playing Felix.  I think I would have liked it.  It would have been more of a challenge for me.  I think I would have gotten into it.  I'm definitely better suited to Oscar though.  Luckily, Mike as Felix was just so good.  Hilarious and unpredictable.  I've been in lots of plays with lots of people.  (It's true.)  I've had a few great stage partners.  (Heather Nicholls, Ethan Stowell, I'm looking at you.)  Mike is definitely near the top of that small list.  We adapt well to each other's rhythm and occasionally communicate telepathically.  Doing the show for as long as we did and in multiple venues really solidified those roles and our stage relationship.  I feel confident we will do The Odd Couple together again.   Maybe next we should try The Producers.  Maybe in 30 years, The Sunshine Boys.  

     To sum it up, The Odd Couple was good.  We had fun.  It was exciting to do a tour of three venues.  That's something I hope to explore again.  The problem I face with acting now is that I can't help but miss directing.  I love Neil Simon and this script particularly.  It's a guys show.  I would have loved to have directed it with a cast of fellas I've worked with before.  Maybe I'll do that someday too. Maybe I'll direct Hilary and Amanda in the female version. Maybe I'll play Felix someday. Regardless, I don't think The Odd Couple and I are done with each other just yet.

For more on Neil Simon tune in to this special episode of my podcast!