Good Neighbors Theatre is among 34 theatres producing The Odd Couple (Female Version) in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain this year. The play closes the 2015-2016 People’s Bank and Trust Season at Good Neighbors Theatre. Performances are 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. Tyler Martin is directing the play at GNT, located at 8780 Highway 111 Byrdstown, TN.

Neil Simon’s gender-switch rewrite, which premiered on Broadway in 1985 (twenty years after the original), outclasses the old script in many ways.

Simon has more fully developed the characters of the mismatched pair, while retaining the key to the play’s humor. The original roommates blame themselves for singlehandedly breaking up their marriages and are fully aware of how they did so, but do absolutely nothing to change until the final scene. The female version provides a more balanced portrayal of two strong women with reasons for how they act.

Simon has also overhauled the play’s secondary characters. The poker players exist mainly to give Felix and Oscar someone to annoy; when not reacting to one or the other, they have little to talk about. While the group scenes in the female version still focus on demonstrating Olive’s and Florence’s flaws, Simon took pains to establish the personalities of their friends as well. For them, playing the game is secondary to relaxing, talking, and spending time together on their weekly night out, and the dialogue reflects that. The game of choice – Trivial Pursuit – also contributes to fuller interaction, since the team play and mixed bag of questions gives the players more to respond to.

Olive Madison and Florence Unger are the ultimate dysfunctional roommates; after only three weeks of living together, they have driven each other out of their minds. What started as Olive’s sincere effort to help her friend evolves into a major source of conflict, as the two disagree about orderliness, responsibility, personal space and everything else. In order for their friendship to continue, their living arrangement must end – but not before providing Simon’s comic version of what happens, in varying degrees, to all roommates.

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.