THEATRE REVIEW:
“THE ODD COUPLE” by the Dan
Diego Black Ensemble Theatre at the Academy of Sound and Music
Published in Gay and Lesbian
Times August 8, 2002
You gotta love Oscar Wilde -- his
influence pops up in the most amazing places. No fewer than four San Diego
productions feature characters named Gwendolyn and Cecily: (from "The
Importance of Being Earnest." The most surprising of all is Neil Simon's
"The Odd Couple, presented by San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre.
Although they play a small role as
dates of the sloppy Oscar and finicky Felix, the tittering Pigeon sisters
(Gwendolyn and Cecily) are a bright spot in the BET production. Ann Tran is
particularly humorous, and she's joined by Kimberly Miller in a comical chorus
of giggles.
The conceit of the production is as
interesting as the backstory. Rhys Greene and Walter Murray are co-founders of
BET, and anyone who knows them agrees that they actually are The Odd
Couple. Last year, there was a lot of buzz when this production was announced.
But then, one of them took sick and the piece was postponed indefinitely. After
it was rescheduled for this summer, another delay was necessary, since BET lost
its homebase, the one year-old McDonald Mori Performing Arts Center in North
Park, which was forced to shut its doors due to Fire Code concerns.
In the interim, the show lost its
director (Don Loper, who's now appearing in both productions at North Coast
Rep), so artistic director Green stepped in) and its stage manager, then the
troupe had to move into a new space (the Academy of Sound and Music) and
decrease its run (from four weeks to three).
Despite high energy and expectations,
and the best of intentions, the production seems to have suffered from all
these indignities. The players haven't quite inhabited their characters;
everyone just seems to be trying so hard. A primary problem is the casting. It
may have been a directorial or a collaborative decision to cast against type,
but Murray still looks tidy even at his messiest, and Greene, though he acts
high-strung and neurotic, never convinces as a neatnik. When they dress up for
their evening with the Pigeons, Murray's Oscar is impeccably attired, while
Green's Felix still looks rumpled and unkempt. Greene always plays 'angry'
best, but that isn't who Felix is at all. Murray has many more moments of
credibility, especially as he gets more frustrated and even hops nimbly over
the furniture.
The poker buddies are pretty much
window-dressing; the performances are adequate, but they underscore the fact
that these are one-dimensional, cardboard characters; each has a single
personality trait which is repeated to annoying effect; the supposedly tough
cop is a softy, the accountant is logical and sensible, etc.
There doesn't seem to be any reason
that a story about a guy who gets separated from his wife and moves in
temporarily with his divorced poker-pal should feel dated -- but there's a
mustiness this production wears like a cloak. Truth be told, even Simon's
recent retooling of the play, for a production at the Geffen Theatre in L.A.
("Oscar and Felix, A New Look at 'The Odd Couple,'" starring TV notables
John Larroquette and Joe Regalbuto, of "Night Court' and 'Murphy Brown,'
respectively) garnered mixed reviews at best. So maybe the 1965 play is passé.
Here, although the cast is
multicultural, BET has taken every opportunity to make the piece more African
American. The incidental music is all jazz and blues (Ella, Sammy, et al.), and
when Felix naively says "I'm a brother" (referring to his family)
Greene raises a Black Power fist, which gets a good laugh.
After all its transitions and changes,
the production feels a bit shaky; but it should settle in over time. I couldn't
help thinking, though it would be less of a dramatic stretch, that the show
would be more satisfying, and these two dynamic actors would be far funnier, if
they were playing with rather than against type.
"The Odd Couple" runs through August 18, at the Academy
of Sound and Music, on Kettner; 888-568-AART
©2002 Patté Productions Inc.