The Odd Couple’s Magic
By Shantez Tolbut, Staff Writer
The NEIU Stage Center offered students and staff a chance to see another classic Neil Simon play, “The Odd Couple” directed by Lisa Cantwell. This cute, hilarious and grungy comedy had the audience tickling with laughter during Oct. 20-22, 26-29.
The play’s setting involves a couple of divorced bachelors–Oscar (played by Nick Shea), your typical messy cynical guy and Felix (played by Rand Ringgenberg), the shy, compulsive neat freak that leans towards traditionally female related chores around the home–that move in together after one of the guys goes through a particularly hard divorce. As they progress, we see the conflicting interests colliding and escalating for an interesting climax.
It was a treat to see the use of the audience space and the entire stage used for an added touch of entertainment. Ringgenberg did exceptionally well in bringing out the complexity and humanity in a guy who despite his anti-social tendencies, really just cherishes his family. Shea captured the essence of a broken man trying to cope with a difficult situation—while still struggling to maintain a sense of his masculinity.
“It was interesting how Oscar and Felix got to know each other,” said Ringgenberg on his chemistry with Shea. “I guess you could call that magic.”
The other actors who played the roles of their close friends Speed, Murray, Roy and Vinnie created a genuine atmosphere of a weekly poker game that added on to the “bachelor-esque” feel of the play, even though some of the other characters were clearly still married.
Brad Cantwell, the actor who played Speed, particularly liked the 1940s atmosphere in the play. “I really enjoyed re-creating the poker game scene where the men would get together without their wives for a night of smoking, food and cards,” said Cantwell. “The show required a cast that could create friends and neighbors and I think that we [accomplished] that.”
Towards the end of the play, Oscar brought the Pigeon sisters over to dinner for a delightfully twisted end.
Ann Dernbach, the actress who played Gwendolyn Pigeon, excitedly shared her experience with the production.
“One word. Magical. That’s the term that I use for a good show,” she said. “Lisa was the glue that held us all together—she is amazing! I have never been disappointed working with The Stage Center Theatre.”
For Cantwell, the magic didn’t stop there as she spoke very highly of her time working with the cast.
“My cast was adorable!” said Cantwell. “Everyone was very close knit, it was exciting to see them develop from the first day of rehearsal to every night of the performance. Each person in the cast brought something unique on stage to make this show fabulous! They were a delight to work with. Pure magic. I love them!”
The show was, overall, a great success and a delight to watch. Be on the lookout for the next Stage Center play of the 2011-2012 seasons – Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare on Dec. 1-3, 7-10 at 7:30 p.m.