The Blackwood Players opened their season of The Odd Couple (the Female Version) last night. I understand this is a South Australian first for this version of Neil Simon’s classic.
Forget Oscar and Felix – meet Olive and Florence. With a storyline set in the 1980’s the gender shift is credible and works well. The play has a witty script and some excellent one-liners. Amy Neumann is excellent as the casual, outgoing Olive, and her neurotic housemate Florence is convincingly portrayed by Rebecca Gardner.
Kate Anolak (Sylvie), Esther Michelsen (Renee), Janet Jauncey(Mickey) and Dawn Ross(Vera) are not only a strong supporting cast of quirky individuals but create a believable support network for Olive and Florence. Men do make an appearance in the second act in the form of Luke Abraham(Manolo) and Joshua Kerr (Jesus) and these Spanish brothers add an extra dimension to the comedy.
Congratulations to Director Stephanie Gonelli and the production team. The apartment set design was particularly good.
Volume was an issue at times. The conversation in the opening scene was difficult to hear particularly because of the distracting radio in the background.
Although it is tempting to be drawn into comparisons with the original Odd Couple, the female version is a successful comedy in its own right.
The Blackwood Players production is a very enjoyable evening out complete with cabaret style seating for the audience and a bar.
