The Odd Couple (Female Version) is coming to the Byrdstown playhouse with plays on Fridays June 3 and 10 at 7:00 PM, Saturdays June 4 and 11 at 7:00 PM, and matinee performances on Sundays June 5 and 12 at 2:00 PM. The hilarious production closes the 2015-2016 season at Good Neighbors Theatre.

Tyler Martin, director, has an excellent cast in rehearsal at GNT, located at 8780 Highway 111 Byrdstown, TN.

In 1985, Neil Simon revised The Odd Couple for a female cast. The Female Odd Couple was based on the same story line and same lead characters, now called Florence Ungar and Olive Madison. The poker game became Trivial Pursuit with their friends becoming the girlfriends: Mickey, Sylvie, Vera, and Renee. The Pigeon sisters became the Costazuela brothers, Manolo and Jesus.

The Female Odd Couple opened on Broadway on June 11, 1985, and ran for 295 performances. The cast starred Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno as Florence (Felix) and Olive (Oscar).

Shawn Hammock plays Olive, whose tough-gal exterior hides more than a smidgen of mush, while Martha Pratt as Florence may seem the ultimate prim-and-proper neatnik, yet she too has unexpected depths and (like Olive) a heart of gold.

Playing supporting roles are: Delaine Cross as sassy, wisecracking Sylvie, Amy Smith as unflappable tough cop Mickey, Melissa Davis as earnest space cadet Vera, and Kathie Winningham as plain-spoken but gossipy Renee. The male roles in the female version are played by Brain Cross as the spiffily groomed, emotional Jesús and John Mullins as suave-and-sensitive ladies’ man Manol, the Spanish-accented Costazuela brothers.

Simon’s mastery of the one-liner has never been sharper than it is in The Odd Couple (Female Version), like Olive’s “I got brown sandwiches and green sandwiches. The green is either very new cheese or very old meat,” Still, it’s not merely Neil Simon’s trademark one-liners that have made The Odd Couple such a long-lasting comedy classic. In Olive and Florence, Simon has created a pair of characters that each of us can recognize bits of ourselves in, whether they be Olives or Florences or a bit of both.

Ticket Prices are $12.00 plus tax/Adult and $8.00 plus tax child between three and 12 years of age. Lap babies two and under are free. Tickets are available at the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce. All pre-reserved tickets must be paid for at the time the reservation is made. Stop by the Chamber located at 1005 Highway 111. The Chamber’s phone is 931-864-7195.

Tickets may also be purchased at the Good Neighbors Theatre ticket booth on the night of the performances. All ticket sales are final. Unused tickets are non-refundable.

To purchase by mail, please mail the following information with payment to: Good Neighbors Theatre, PO Box 493, Byrdstown, TN 38549. Name, phone, email, number of adult tickets at $13.17, number of child tickets at $8.78, and total amount enclosed. Also indicate the performance you want to attend: June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and/or June 12.

All reservations by mail must be received day prior to selected date. Please provide a complete list of names/dates of all ticket holders for the reservation. Tickets for mail-in reservations are held for Will Call at the GNT Ticket Booth on the night of the performance/s you select.

Those requiring special assistance must indicate their need at the time reservation is made. Make checks payable to GNT at P.O. Box 493, Byrdstown, TN 38549. Messages may be left at 931-864-4569.