The Odd Couple
Ensemble Theatre
★★★½

Walking into Oscar’s apartment is like stepping back in time. The mismatched chairs around the dining table, the odd sock on the sofa, the empty beer cans on the coffee table… You wouldn’t be surprised if Jack Lemmon and Walther Matthau walked in as the lights go up. But the Ensemble Theatre’s new production of The Odd Couple quickly establishes itself as not just a fond tribute to the original 1967 comedy but also as a masterclass in classic comedy.

Steve Rodgers is Oscar, recently divorced, whose large apartment is slowly filling with discarded TV dinner plates and dirty laundry. Brian Meegan is Felix, his best friend, who moves in when his wife throws him out. We quickly discover why: Felix is, in 21st century parlance, needy. A hypochrondriac, obsessive about cleanliness, emotionally manipulative. It is, as Neil Simon so brilliantly demonstrated in his original play, a situation rich in comedic potential.

Steve Rodgers as Oscar and Brian Meegan as Felix in Ensemble Theatre’s The Odd Couple.Credit:Prudence Upton

Rodgers plays Oscar with grubby charm: it’s hard not to warm to Oscar’s laconic acceptance of his lot in life. Meanwhile, Meegan brings a finely calibrated prickle to the character of Felix. He’s not, like Vinnie (a brilliant Nicholas Papademetriou), hyperactive in his nervous twitching. He’s more studied.

It’s not just about the odd couple. The play is an ensemble piece, starting and ending with the perpetual poker game involving four of Oscar and Felix’s mates. Director Mark Kilmurry choreographs both scenes with the kind of intricately detailed naturalism that feels effortless but requires split second timing from everyone. Reaction, counter-reaction. It’s like watching a Grand Prix game of tennis doubles. The plummy-toned English girls from upstairs (Olivia Pigeot and Katie Fitchett) bring a touch of Wimbledon to the game.

This production combines comforting familiarity with classy flair, right down to the detailed design (Hugh O’Connor), and it remains an affectionate portrait of masculinity, with all its flaws. Even so, Felix’s tearful breakdown as he tries to entertain the girls is a powerful and punchy moment. Neil Simon picked it in 1967, but we’re still learning, it would seem, to embrace male vulnerability and emotional honesty.

The Odd Couple runs until December 30.

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