Michael P. Sullivan & Jonathan Claiborne as Oscar and Felix

The Odd Couple
By Neil Simon

Spotlighters Theatre – Baltimore

Runs Through February 5, 2005

NOW CLOSED

Review by Heather Bartlett
Photos by Bill Hardy

Once again I wasn’t sorry for making a trip up to the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre in Baltimore; they have yet to disappoint me. Usually it’s some wacky original or a dramatic Tennessee Williams play, but this time it was a good old, stand-by Neil Simon standard, and it was a great show to go to with my guys. Will came along to do the photos as usual, but this time we dragged Robert to Baltimore with us, and even though he is not a big theater fan, he loved the show.

Director Sherrionne Brown, with a lot of help from Roy Hammond, has always done an exceptional job in the productions I have attended. The direction, props and set decoration in this show was a typical example of their work. The era was obvious late sixties, with peach shag carpet, amber colored glass in the kitchen door and shutters, and even a macramé owl hanging on the wall— perfect!

For those few of you who haven’t ever seen an incarnation of this popular show (also a film and a TV series), Oscar and his poker pals are playing one night when their friend Felix doesn’t show up. A call to his wife reveals that she has kicked him out of the house, and Felix soon arrives in a terrible state. Oscar, his best friend and eternal slob, invites Felix the obsessive compulsive neat-freak to be his roommate, but the two find their friendship becoming more like a marriage.

The acting was all very good, everyone having defined their characters quite well. I only sensed one moment where they MAY have gotten off track with lines, but if so they recovered nicely. The poker buddies, played by Steve Beall, Michael W. Tan, Denis Latkowski, and Randy Dalmas, had a wonderful banter going, with all the boisterousness and wise-cracking that would be expected. Their bickering, cajoling, and minor chaos were all well orchestrated. Though the character of the Murray the cop struck me as a bit more feminine than I’d have expected, all of the buddies—whether they were hen-pecked, macho, or grouchy—really came across. Lest you think the show is pure testosterone, the giddy Pigeon sisters appeared later for a disastrous double date with Felix and Oscar. Played by Anne O’Reilly and Niji Ramunas, the pair added a fun, bubbly charm to the story.

Jonathan Claiborne and Michael P. Sullivan had good chemistry as fussy Felix and man’s man Oscar. I enjoyed Sullivan’s accent and body language, and thought the scrunched, indignant faces that were a regular part of Claiborne’s repertoire where a hoot.

The costumes were done by the cast, and they all looked right to me.

The lighting design by FUZZ Roark was well suited to the show if a bit shadowy in some places—one of the inherent weaknesses of the theater’s basement digs—but the tech crew ran the lights without a hitch. The sound aspects of the show were good. One cue in particular that got plenty of chuckles was when the guys lined up for the “bathroom” and there was the sound of the toilet flushing—a nice touch!

There are lots of laughs in this production and it’s also amusing to watch the characters interact. Equally great is the fact you can take buddies to it or convince folks that don’t normally like overly serious, artsy theatre to come out and enjoy a good laugh at some situations we can easily relate to. And, it’s playing at one of my favorite little theatres. Please visit the Spotlighters site regularly to keep up with what they are producing. Don’t turn on that television! Don’t go see that movie AGAIN! Go out and see LIVE theatre—and Spotlighters knows how to do it!

This show plays through February 5 th. Visit their site for details.