Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: San Francisco

The Odd Couple (Female Version)
Novato Theater Company
Review by Patrick Thomas

Also see Patrick's review of Annie Get Your Gun; Richard's reviews of Gidion's Knot and Hir, and Jeanie's review of R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe


Pennell Chapin and Molly McCarthy Florence
One of the supporting characters in the production of The Odd Couple (Female Version) now playing at the Novato Theater Company, is Mickey, a big-but-soft-hearted cop. Although Simon gave Mickey's character some good lines, here's what I wish the cop had said: "Move along—nothing to see here." That would have saved me—and the rest of the audience—two hours of slogging, amateurish non-comedy.

For those of you who don't know, in 1985, Neil Simon adapted his 1965 original, flipping the genders of all the characters. Oscar and Felix become Olive and Florence. The Pidgeon sisters become the Costazuela brothers. And, of course, Murray the cop becomes Mickey the cop. The show ran for just 295 performances, even with Rita Moreno and Sally Struthers in the leads, and Tony Shaloub in his Broadway debut. Not to mention Neil Simon's name on the marquee.

Unfortunately, Neil Simon had two things working against him with this script. First, a writer's best efforts don't generally come when he is adapting his own work. Second, gender matters, and the characters' masculine origins are difficult to ignore, meaning this group of women never really feel genuine.

Many of the best lines from the original are still here ("You're going to eat food from that refrigerator? I saw milk standing in there that wasn't even in the bottle!") and the structure is identical, but unfortunately this only reinforces the dissonance between who the characters are and what they wear. The next time someone revives this version, perhaps it should be done in drag. It simply never feels true to who women really are. And as brilliant Bay Area comedian Rick Reynolds once said, "Only the truth is funny."

With this rather fatal flaw, director Mark Shepard had his work cut out for him. As in the Olympics, when a figure skater blows her opening move and the announcers say "she'll have to nail every move for the rest of the program if she's to have any hope of medaling," every other element of Shepard's production would have to be flawless in order for the show to be successful. Unfortunately, none of the other elements of this production come even close.

Of the cast, only Molly McCarthy as Florence exhibits any charm or sense of natural grace and presence on the stage. (She also gets one of the best new lines: "I've gained 14 pounds. Seven on each hip. I look like I'm carrying my laundry in my pockets!") Her delicate and fragile Florence is easily the least objectionable thing about this production.

Unfortunately, the rest of the women in the cast lack even this minimal appeal. They aren't acting, they're announcing. They all project well and have decent diction, but have no sense of comic timing or dramatic emphasis. Worse, there's no sense of "play" going on between them. It doesn't feel like they are having any fun, more that it's all they can do to deliver their lines.

The two men playing the Costazuela brothers (Dale Camden and Johnny DeBernard), on the other hand, at least bring some whimsy and humor to the proceedings—even if they look absolutely nothing like brothers.

The set isn't so much designed as it is assembled. In fact, there seems to be no sense of design at all here—which makes sense, since no designer is listed in the credits. (Director Mark Shepard apparently did double duty.) The furnishings look like someone went into a consignment store and took the first dining set, sofa and sideboard they saw.

Even the timing and lighting cues at intermission and curtain are odd. At intermission, stage lights were up, and house lights stayed down, so everyone remained in their seats. After a moment, the cast came wandering back on stage, gathering up items, and I could feel the audience's confusion: is this a new scene? Finally, the director had to stand up and announce that this was, indeed, intermission. The curtain call was equally mis-handled.

Better to stay home and watch the figure skaters. Their failures at least last only four-and-a-half minutes.

The Odd Couple (Female Version) runs through March 9, 2014, at the Novato Theater Company, 5420 Nave Drive, Novato. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 general, $22 for seniors and students and $12 for those 12 and under. Tickets and additional information are available at www.novatotheatercompany.org or by calling 415-883-4498.


Photo: Novato Theater Co.


Cheers - and be sure to Check the lineup of great shows this season in the San Francisco area

- Patrick Thomas