REVIEW: Female Madison and Unger characters shine in Gaslight's 'The Odd Couple'

Anyone familiar with the original 1965 version of “The Odd Couple” (and the popular TV show starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall) will automatically recognize the stereotypes in this updated 1980s female version, while the characters bring more hormonal flair!

Gaslight Theatre’s “The Odd Couple (Female Version)” offers audiences lots of giggles and chuckles — and just plain fun — as Olive Madison (the slob) and Florence Unger (the neurotic) try to live together in the same apartment.

Director Ginny Shipley has shaped a great cast for this play, which was rewritten by Neil Simon to take the same story line and lead characters into the “girlfriend” world.

Olive (played by Catina Ley Sundvall) and her group of friends are enjoying a weekly Trivial Pursuit night in Olive’s messy apartment. As the game continues, they learn that Florence (played by April Swinnea-Ogg) has been dumped by her husband and is roaming the city. Florence, who’s an emotional wreck, finally arrives to the game, and the girls are concerned she may harm herself.

Olive eventually invites Florence to move in as her roommate, and that’s when the conflicts in personalities and temperament ensue. This invites some hilarity between Olive’s messiness and Florence’s fastidiousness.

The audience is treated to a number of funny clashes between the two as Florence’s OCD kicks in full blast and drives Olive crazy. But the real kicker comes when the upstairs neighbors — the Spanish Costazuela brothers (played by Jason Ogg and Mitch Lyon) show up for a double dinner date with the two.

The cast of girlfriends includes Janet Jones, Mary Aika Kent, Aly Fisher and Dedra Lyon, who all deliver some of the funniest lines during the Trivial Pursuit games.

This comedy of “The Odd Couple (Female Version)” is as timely today as it was in the 1980s.

The show is about two hours long, including intermission, and is set in three scenes. It’s appropriate for all audiences; however, there is some language and a little sexual innuendo.

The show will run March 17-19 and March 24-25. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for military and $8 for students.