MARTIN SHORT & JASON ALEXANDER THE ODD COUPLE READING in L.A. 1/25 & 1/26

[Popular]

Posted: 12/7/07 at 10:17pm

2 Performances Only!
January 25 - 26, 2008

MARTIN SHORT & JASON ALEXANDER
star in a reading of Neil Simon's
THE ODD COUPLE at the Wadsworth in L.A.

Info... Updated On: 1/24/08 at 10:17 PM

[Popular]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 9:56pm

Should be fun. I'll report back if anyone is interested.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 11:39pm

Sounds like a great show and a terrific cast!

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:51am

Definitely want to read your review, Popular! I can only imagine how funny this will be...

lc

[theminutepast]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 9:39am

Can someone fill me in on who is playing each role? I can see both of them in either of the title roles.

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 10:19am

Short is Felix, Alexander is Oscar.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 10:58am

The casting is way too typed. I'd put them in the opposite roles. A burly Felix sounds very funny, and a slight Oscar does too.

I felt the NY production with Lane and Broderick would have benefited from similar atypical casting.

[Popular]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 2:43am

Just came back.... granted it was my first experience with this play so I don't have anything to compare it to... but I thought it was wonderful! It wasn't your average "sit on a stool" reading. They staged it (with props) and fine tuned it up until an hour before curtain, You'd never know they only rehearsed this one day!

I was very impressed with the cast! They were all wonderful, not a weak link.

That's not to say there weren't any funny mishaps. Jason Alexander and Martin Short lost their place in the script once and broke character to play off each other and kept the audience laughing while they figured out where they were and started over. There was one other time when Martin was doing his thing with the walk and the hands and the being his crazy self, which of course the crowd loved, to which Jason turned to us and said, "don't encourage him".

Overall a fun night. I need to read up on my Neil Simon. Any suggestions? Oh! And I'm sure I missed a majority of the stars there but I did spot Kirk Douglas!

If you have a chance, you should try to go tomorrow. It's beyond sold out but with the rain coming they'll probably be a few no shows.

[James2]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 9:19am

How were Wayne Knight and Patrick Warburton? They are two character actors I really like (Warburton is hilarious on Kim Possible).

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 9:25am

The Odd Couple is one of the funniest plays ever written. If you don't know your Neil Simon...well, I'd check out Plaza Suite, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues and his Pulitzer prize winner Lost in Yonkers. He also wrote a lot of good movies, Goodbye Girl and Max Dugan Returns are two of my favorites.

And it's pretty dated now but I have a real fondness for his first play Come Blow Your Horn.

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 10:17am

Aw, sounds like a great time, Popular! What an event.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 11:26am

Sounds like it was a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!

[Popular]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 1:16pm

James - as I said, they were all really great!
Here is a complete list of actors:
Jason Alexander - Oscar
Martin Short - Felix
Michael Kostroff - Speed
Wayne Knight - Murney
Patrick Warburton - Roy
Cleavant Derricks - Vinnie
Olivia D'Abo - Gwendolyn
Rachel York - Cecily

Joe - thanks for the Simon tips!

By the way, I forgot to mention that if you're planning on going, the theater is really cold at times. Dress warm!

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 12:31pm

Some nice photos are up on the Reprise! Backstage Blog.

Photos

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 2:24pm

Cute pictures!