The Odd Couple (1968)

Performances

October 4-5, 7-12, 1968

Venue

Community Players Theatre

Synopsis

“The Odd Couple” tells the story of Felix Unger, a neurotic, neat freak who is thrown out by his wife and moves in with his divorced friend Oscar Madison, a slovenly sportswriter. Despite Oscar’s problems—careless spending, excessive gambling, a poorly-kept house filled with spoiled food—he seems to enjoy life. Felix, however, seems utterly incapable of enjoying anything and only finds purpose in pointing out other people’s mistakes and foibles. Even when Felix tries to do this in a gentlemanly manner, he is still extremely annoying to those around him. Oscar, his closest friend, feels compelled to finally throw Felix out after only a brief time together, though he realizes Felix has had a positive effect on him.

Author: Neil Simon

Historian’s Corner

By the opening of the production “The Odd Couple,” Players had sold 2,216 season tickets for the 1968-1969 season. This total would be one of the highest totals for season tickets in Players’ history. A special feature of the program was the inclusion of a section titled “Nostalgia.” Beginning with “the Odd Couple” program, then Players’ historian, Dr. Wilson Baltz gave a brief history of Community Players. Each program that season featured a history of Community Players by decade. “The Odd Couple” started with the founding of the Community Players in 1923 and continued on until the end of the 1932-1933 season.