There’s something “Odd” going on in Hampstead, Maryland…. Actually, “Odd” isn’t necessarily a bad thing for local community theatre; Small Town Stars who are currently producing The Odd Couple (Female Version). For those unfamiliar with the show, The Odd Couple written by Neil Simon had its original debut in 1965 on Broadway, and with its success, spurred a film in 1968, and then a TV series from 1970 – 1975. The show revolves around two polar opposite personalities Olive Madison played by Savannah Noel and Florence Unger played by Sky Betz who become roommates – one a carefree slob, one an uptight neurotic – and hilarity ensues. The female version is nearly identical to its original male counterpart, with obviously different gender-related jokes and dialogue. Director Alanna Kiewe has assembled a fine cast and does well utilizing the set, which was simplistic in nature yet quite effective for this particular production. She did miss some clever and creative blocking opportunities, but overall, the blocking was engaging, nothing ever seemed forced or unnatural and there was never a moment where an actor was upstaged or not visible.
The show opens with a group of friends playing Trivial Pursuit at Olive’s apartment. The four friends played by Arielle Baquol, Ash Vance, Shaelyn Betances, and Darryl Warren do a nice job balancing the quick-witted banter between the four of them before we are introduced to our two leading ladies. Though the script doesn’t do a good job at making them stand out as individuals, these actors do their best to make their characters known and you won’t be disappointed. Especially, Arielle Baquol who plays Vera, she’s adorable and quirky and I thoroughly enjoyed what she brought to her character. Even though it’s a small role she made herself memorable. Later in the second act you meet Olive’s and Florence’s upstairs neighbors and potential love interests who are played by Court Zeitler and Jacob Eisenacher. Both are charmingly hilarious in these roles and Court who plays Manolo Costazuela has great comic timing. Keep an eye out for them, they’re a hoot!
Our two main leads; Savannah Noel as Olive Madison and Sky Betz as Florence Unger do a wonderful job capturing their roles and making you believe they truly are friends and roommates. Savannah has the slob part down and Sky nails the neuroticism of Florence. They both play well off each other and their chemistry is spot on, which is important because they equally carry the show.
The show is solid, but the pacing was slow and the energy was low. The show could use a bit more of a guiding hand on those aspects, but it can also be chalked up to being final dress combined with a long tech week. Small Town Stars is a relatively new local community theatre and it shows, but with some guidance I believe they will thrive and flourish for years to come. Regardless, you can clearly see that the entire cast and crew have worked hard and now they’re ready for an audience!
Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission
The Odd Couple (The Female Version) plays through April 10th 2022 with Small Town Stars Theatre in the main auditorium of the new Panthers Performing Arts Center— 1400 Panther Drive in Hampstead, MD. Tickets are available at the door or in advance online.
