THE ODD COUPLE
The Odd Couple is a timeless comedy which most people immediately associate with the iconic 1968 film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. However, in 1985 playwright Neil Simon gave it a new, edgier lease of life by penning the female version – reviews at the time were mixed, but in the hands of Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society this gender reversal works brilliantly.
Director Debbie Forsyth, one of the Society’s most accomplished actors, makes a classy debut in the director’s chair and deserves great credit for both an imaginative choice of play and impeccable casting. The combination is a winner.
This is a witty romp through a simple synopsis – carefree slob versus uptight neurotic as two polar opposite personalities become housemates. The film’s original Oscar and Felix have morphed into Olive and Florence, played in a joint tour de force by Ruth Dodsworth and Joyce Liggins. The success of this play hinges on the chemistry between these two, and they have it in spades.
Ruth Dodsworth gives a consummate performance as Olive, a clever, complex woman living a wonderfully chaotic life in her messy apartment. She has complete mastery of comic timing – but the invisible skill in this portrayal is her excellent ability to convey emotional depth underneath the easy laughter. This isn’t just a slobfest – Olive is kind, compassionate and lonely, and Ruth has the subtlety to show it.
Her nemesis is tightly played by Joyce Liggins who delivers Florence with fine precision as an obsessive neat-freak – buttoned-up but also emotionally fragile after the breakdown of her marriage. Both cleverly nudge their roles towards endearing rather than annoying, and it’s no small acting feat that two ostensibly irritating characters are so likeable. They bounce off each other’s spiky energy and the result is a great double act.
Meanwhile, the female members of Olive’s Trivial Pursuit Club, who previously mistrusted the snacks served past expiry date, now have to contend with their Club cards being disinfected thanks to Florence’s arrival in the house. Here, the supporting cast crack through a series of one-liners with the aplomb of stand-up comics – or rather sit-down comics as they banter round the Trivial Pursuit table. Congratulations to the snappy ensemble of Rachel Joynson, Jenny MacNair, Heather Appleton and Claire Prescott, the latter a newcomer to the Playhouse stage. Each one has individual quirks but collectively they function as a Greek chorus, filling in background for the audience with sharp-witted commentary.
Another welcome newcomer, Tim Wilkinson, teamed up with Playhouse stalwart Keith Burton as the two Spanish brothers living upstairs – and in one single, glorious scene they well nigh stole the show.
The pair of them played Manolo and Jesus to riotous perfection, complete with linguistic tics, wild misunderstandings and wonderfully exaggerated body language. It was a barnstorming performance which brought the house down – a joyous surprise in an evening already filled with laughter.
As always, the backstage crew had done a superb job of conjuring up another world – this time the resplendent chaos of Olive’s messy apartment signalled by wonky pictures, discarded clothing and scattered newspapers. With their usual meticulous attention to detail, the crew transformed the apartment post-interval to Florence’s idea of a pin-neat heaven.
This is an immensely enjoyable production which defies all the doubts expressed by those traditionalists back in the 80s. Neil Simon, you nailed it twice. Forget Broadway, come to Nidderdale and see your revision come to hilarious life.
Cheryl Barber