Felix and Oscar remain 'The Odd Couple'

by Sharlene Irete

sirete@recordcourier.com

Oscar is still the happy slob who hosts weekly poker games for his friends. "Life goes on for those of us who are broke, divorced and sloppy," he says.

Felix is still an uptight guy, described by Oscar as "the only person I know with clenched hair."

Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" about the mismatched Oscar and Felix premiered on Broadway in 1965 and inspired the 1968 movie starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and the 1970s TV series.

And in the Dakota Organization's production of "The Odd Couple," opening today at the CVIC Hall, Felix can announce his upcoming divorce by updating his Facebook status.

"We wanted to update the play and give it a fresh look," said Dakota Organization founder Teri Levy. "A lot of kids don't know about the original version, so we gave some modern references while keeping the same story."

"The Odd Couple" opens 7:30 p.m. tonight at the CVIC Hall in downtown Minden and is performed 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. It continues 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and 27, and 2 p.m. Feb. 28. The production is directed by Dave Anderson, assistant director is Teri Levy, and is produced by Christopher Willson and Warren Schader.

Willson is Felix and Schader plays Oscar. Jim DeZerga, Jody Paslov, Dan Shoup and Jeff Fast are the poker-playing friends. Nicole Schader and Lesley Henrie are the Pigeon sisters.

The Pigeon sisters may be remembered from the original play and movie as the ditsy neighbors with the English accents.

"We still have the Pigeon sisters as the English accent gals," said Levy. "They're a little over the top in their dress and they're absolutely hilarious."

The Dakota Organization was formed in 2005 and "The Odd Couple" is their sixth production.

"We're very proud of everything we've done so far and things keep getting better," said Levy. "The tech crew on this production is phenomenal. It's a tight crew backstage too. Everybody is right on the money.

"Our goal is to have people see what we're passionate about and have them enjoy what we do."

Meet the cast and crew at a champagne reception after tonight's opening night show.

Performances are at the CVIC Hall, 1602 Esmeralda Avenue, Minden. Tickets are $15 general admission and $10 seniors and students. Tickets at the Carson Valley Arts Council, 1572 Highway 395 in Minden, at thedakotaorganization.com or call 265-2942.

'The Odd Couple' cast list:

Warren Schader, Oscar

Christopher Willson, Felix

Dan Shoup, Murray

Jim DeZerga, Speed

Jeffrey Fast, Roy

Joseph Paslov, Vinnie

Nicole Schader and

Lesley Henrie are the Pigeon sisters